Spiral of Love
by spiritgununicorn
Summary: Kimiko is the daughter of Sir Auron, and a guardian of Lady Yuna…love is not that hard to come by in a group of eccentric people, but does the one she loves, feel the same? OC in this piece of fiction!
1. Chapter 1

Title: Spiral of Love

Rating: M

Pairing: Kimiko/Rikku (main/eventual), Auron/Tidus, Yuna/Tidus (smidgen), Wakka/Lulu, Kimiko/Yuna (smidgen)

Summary: Kimiko is the daughter of Sir Auron, and a guardian of Lady Yuna…love is not hard to come by in a group of eccentric people, but does the one she love feel the same?

Disclaimer: If I owned them, would I be writing about them?

Warnings: Cursing, a few dirty jokes, mentions of sex.

Notes: I made a few alterations in this chapter, as I'll be doing for the next few chapters as well. Hope you enjoy. R & R?

*Thanks to my beta Exxal. She's awesome! ^^*

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><p><em>Chapter One<em>

My feet were entangled in the sand as the wind swept through my hair. I kept on staring out into the clear, blue sky. This island, Besaid Island, had become my home for the past few years. I'm thankful to have been brought here. It was a peaceful little island and the villagers here are so wonderful! Especially Yuna, she's my closest friend and confidant here on the island. She's amazing and the sweetest person I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. She was something akin of a sister to me, but not quite. I held a special kind of connection to her and protecting her was everything to me.

Protecting her…"Shit! She's going become a summoner today!" I quickly gathered my wits and ran through the beach. I had forgotten my boots on the shore, but that didn't matter to me in the slightest. I loved the feel of the hard earth under my steps anyway. I could always tell Wakka to get them later. He was going to start practice soon enough with the Aurochs.

I ran and ran until I got inside of the temple. I stopped, seeing Lulu and Kimahri following Yuna as they were about to go and partake in the trials. "Yuna! Good luck!" I shouted and Yuna gave me a winning smile. I could feel the air in my lungs become trapped, and my face became a bit flushed. What was going on? Kimahri was behind her and gave me a small salute and a smile as he followed her. The raven haired woman behind Kimahri, Lulu, had shook her head giving me a knowing look, and walked off as well. I blinked for a few moments just staring after them. Yuna had to become a summoner, she just had to.

There was a loud cough behind me and I turned around to be greeted by the priest of the temple. He looked at me and then looked at my dirty feet, which were creating footprints all over the temple grounds. I smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of my neck. "Hehe, sorry about that." I proceeded to leave and as soon as I was outside, I breathed deeply. I had a lot of chores to do now that it was the true start of the day and Yuna was going to become a summoner. I walked down the temple steps, seeing Wakka come out of his hut, and the Aurochs gave me a few high fives as I walked past them.

"Wakka!" I smiled and gave him a great big bear hug. "Lulu and Kimahri are with Yuna. They've already gone inside to start the trials. Gonna start practice soon, huh? Make sure to bring my shoes back, please? I ran all the way here without them. I'm going to put on another pay right now." I turned to the Aurochs who snapped at attention. "As for you guys! Train hard! I want you guys to win the tournament this year!" They gave cheers of doing their best and trying to win because it's what I wanted. They were all a kooky bunch, I tell you.

I left them to my own hut so I could put on my boots and begin the chores for the rest of the villagers. I spent most of my time looking for lost items as well as moving things around in people's huts. At one point, one of the villager's daughters came over to me as I was lifting one heavy crate to bring to one of the huts and asked if I wanted anything to drink. As I asked for some water, which she gladly brought to me, and sat on the side of the hut just watching me. I wiped some of the sweat off of my brow and winked over at her. She giggled and then her father came out of the hut, giving me my pay and call his daughter back into the hut. She blushed when she waved goodbye as well as blew me a kiss.

I shook my head and went back into my own hut. I'm sure that village girl's father didn't just bring her in for an early lunch. It was a huge transgression according to followers of Yevon to engage in any kind of "more than friendly" activity with one of the same sex. I didn't follow the Yevonite path and didn't care for what those people thought, but it's not like I was doing anything. She was coming onto me more so than I was coming on to her. Whatever. I flopped onto my bed, deciding to take a nap and when I would wake I'd go check on Yuna.

Unfortunately, my nap took further than I intended and Yuna still had not come out of the Cloister of Trials. I emerged from the hut, ready to run into the temple, but then there was a huge gathering coming out of the temple. People were hollering and cheering and finally I could see Yuna, Kimahri, and Lulu. I also saw Wakka come out of the temple, with someone hooked under his arm but I barely paid any attention as Yuna summoned Valefor from the skies. I grinned as I watched her and couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment for her. She did it; she became a summoner.

That night there was a huge bonfire in the village to commemorate Yuna becoming a summoner. I had gotten my own aeon (the creature that summoners call) a while ago, on Yuna's request that we get them together. Unfortunately, that also meant that I wasn't allowed to go with her when she was going to get hers. I had decided to just get this summon and forget about the others because this would be her pilgrimage. I wanted to be her guardian, and she heartedly accepted this request. I sat around the bonfire with Lulu for a little while, but began to grow bored of everything and made excuses as I went back to the beach.

I walked along the shore, taking my shoes off and holding them so I don't forget them again. I moved along to the dock and sat at the end of it, my feet hovering a few inches from the water and glanced down at my reflection. I could see the dark eyes that I had inherited from my father and dirty blonde hair I had inherited from my mother. My looks had always attracted a fair share of female admirers as well as a few males. I told people I had no real preference, but I always seemed to lean more towards women. Oh well, it's not like that really mattered as long as it was all about the person, right?

I leaned back on the dock, snorting. It was all about the person, right, but that still didn't mean I had more than a few females in my bed as opposed to the males who wished I was in theirs. I started to hum the Hymn of the Fayth that was so prevalent in Spira's culture and I could hear a soft rustling as someone started to approach on the beach. I didn't turn my head until I could hear footsteps on the dock and saw Yuna, smiling down at me.

"Kimiko! I knew I would find you here. You are always so close to the water. I've been looking for you. I missed you at the celebration, so I thought to come here. Did you get to see when I had summoned the aeon?" I nodded and she smiled. "This is amazing! We are both summoners now! Aren't you thrilled?" I stood before her and we embraced each other. She was so happy, and she had every right to be. Her greatest wish had finally come true. She was now a summoner.

"Yuna. You know that I only got this summon because you asked. I will not be obtaining anymore. I only wish to be your guardian, do you understand?" She nodded slowly, I could tell she wanted to pout, but didn't.

"I know…it's just-"

"One summoner is enough to take care of Sin. You will defeat him, and us guardians will be by your side to protect you. Besides, I don't think I ever want the title of High Summoner. Seems a bit too pompous for someone like me." She giggled and we turned to both look out into the distance. I knew she was saying goodbye to the village. This would be the last time she would be here, and tomorrow we would set sail for Kilika. Our journey to defeat Sin was finally beginning, and it was starting all too fast. I linked my hand with hers, and she leaned into me. I didn't know if I wanted to live in a world without Yuna. I couldn't think of it, I didn't want to think of it.

We stayed that way for a little while, and departed the beach. We trekked through the island to the village, and could still see the bonfire lit so bright. It was like a light guiding us home for the very last time. I knew this pilgrimage would be filled with darkness as well as light, and I would always imagine it as the bonfire here in Besaid. I didn't realize that I was still holding Yuna's hand until she finally let go in the village. She went to her own hut, bypassing Wakka and Lulu who seemed to be engaged in a conversation. I figured out that Lulu was actually yelling at him and then left to her own home.

Wakka and I glanced at one another and he smiled sheepishly. I started to approach him, but he just went straight into the inn. I figured it was kind of weird for him to go to the inn, but I decided to let him be. I went into my own hut, looking back at the bonfire one more time before resting. Tomorrow would be one hell of a day. I even had to wake early to help with the preparations because I never seemed to say no to helping with those kinds of things. I even started to wonder about leaving. I hated moving around for various reasons, so why would I leave? Guess it's because Yuna had found her way into my heart and wherever she went, I just had to follow.

With that thought I fell into a deep slumber.

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><p>x.x.x.<p>

The following morning, I helped with the voyage. All of the preparations had been set and it was just time to set sail. I had waved to everyone even before Yuna and the others came onto the dock, and went straight back to the power room. I didn't even know we had taken off until I came back up to the deck and saw that Besaid was becoming just a speck on the horizon. I made one more silent goodbye as I looked at it and then went to find my companions. They were on the other side of the deck and I had to make my way through the Aurochs.

I found Lulu watching as a crowd formed around Yuna and I couldn't help but laugh. Lulu gave me a look and I pretended to cough. "You're as mature as people claim you to be."

"Oh? I think I'd rather be as mature as everyone thinks then. Means I must be a fun person." Lulu sighed. "What? It's true. Besides, everyone needs a little fun in their lives. Try and live a little, Lulu."

"This is living."

"Out here on the open sea? I agree." I grinned as she was exasperated. She was ready to hit me with something but then Wakka came up with someone trapped under his arm. "Who have you kidnapped this time, Wakka?"

"Hey! I didn't kidnap him, ya? He's our newest buddy. He's hitchin' a ride with us to Luca." I could see the way his eyes lit up as he said "Luca." I wasn't surprised in the slightest. Luca was the second biggest town in Spira and it held the Blitzball stadium. The tournament would be taking place soon, and the Aurochs haven't won in years. They wanted to change that this year, and my guess was that this dude Wakka had trapped, must be his new ticket to winning the tournament. Hell, if he got them to win, this dude could have anything he wanted in my book. He could even become one of my new best friends.

The guy was struggling under Wakka grip. "You know, he's gonna suffocate if you keep holding him like that." Wakka released the guy, who bumped into me, and we were sprawled on the floor. The guy landed right on top of me, and it was just as awkward as it was uncomfortable. "You can get off of me now." I hissed at him and he got up real quick. He held out his hand for me to take, but I just brushed off my clothes. (More like my pants, back, and midriff.)

"Sorry about that." He laughed awkwardly and I looked at him. Bleach blonde hair, crystalline blue eyes that reminded me of the sea, and a tanned physique that showed he had to be a blitzer. He looked so…familiar. I couldn't help but keep ogling him, wondering where he had come from. He started squirming under my gaze, but I wouldn't stop until I figured it out.

"No problem." I narrowed my eyes. "Who are you anyway? I don't think you'd like me to keep calling you 'you' or 'dude.'"

"Oh, uh…Tidus. My name's Tidus. And um…you are?" I smirked. I figured out who he was now.

"Kimiko. Just call me Kimi though. Yuna's the only one who calls me by my full name."

Wakka hollered. "And you haven't growled at her yet!"

I glared at him while Lulu made it a point to get away to another part of the ship. She always liked leaving me at weird moments like this. Wakka started moving toward his team, which left me and Tidus practically alone. Now it was his turn to stare at me. "What?"

"It's just…you um…I know this is gonna sound really weird and all but…you kinda seem familiar. I don't know how I know you, seeing as how I'm from Zanark-ah…never mind that. I'm not from here." I couldn't help but start laughing and he looked at me like I grew another head.

"Yeah, you aren't from here, that much is certain." I poked him on the forehead and stuck my tongue out at him. "Maybe I am who you think I am. Then again, I'm not scruffy, grumpy, or wear a red coat." I moved around him, starting to walk off and the idea started to click in his head.

"Kimi! You-You're-!"

"Sir Auron's daughter?" I blinked, seeing that Yuna had appeared out of nowhere. She gave us both a curious look. "I see you have met Sir Jecht's son. I trust you'll behave, Kimi?"

I scoffed mockingly. "Behave? I always behave. When I have I not been…behavable?" I knew it wasn't a word, but I will damn well make it one! Yuna gave me a look of disbelief. "Okay, I won't do any pranks on him because he's a newbie. Sound good?"

"How about none at all?"

I put my hand over my heart, feining a painful expression. "Yuna, you're breaking my heart!"

Wakka took the moment to stop as he was walking up to the second floor and called out, "I didn't know you could break a black hole, ya?" He roared with laughter as he continued upstairs as I wanted to give him the finger. Knowing Wakka, he would think it was a gesture among brethren, rendering the effect null. Tidus laughed as well and I shot him a glare. It didn't affect him either, and after a few painstaking moments on my part, he finally calmed down.

"Still a hell raiser as always, huh?" He looked so smug, that bastard.

"Still a crybaby as always, huh?" I taunted him back, but before he could say anything, Yuna broke up our little debacle. She was completely confused, and then I was called down to the engine room.

I don't know what happened while I was messing around the engine room. All I knew was that the boat had suddenly lurched to one side, making me crash into one of the walls. My whole side hurt for a few moments and I started calling out to find out what happened. No one was really listening, so I decided to go back on the deck, and was pelted with water. I was lucky that I was still standing from all the water that had come down on me, but I just pressed forward. Coming out of the bottom level, I was drifted off to the side, and that's when I saw it…Sin! The damned thing was messing with our voyage to Kilika!

Sinspawn had been launched onto the ship and were trying to cause some damage to the crew, as well as the others that were aboard the ship. I immediately laughed into action, drawing out my twin pistols and taking aim for one of the Sinspawn. I shot one clear off the boat, sending it flying into the ocean with a cry. Every time one of the Sinspawn would try and attack, I would jump back and launch myself to kick it. My companions fought alongside me for the fight, and soon enough Sin began to retreat. Ust because he had retreated, it did not mean that he didn't cause any damage…

When the battle was over, I shouted over to Yuna to see if she was okay. Kimahri was guarding her so she was fine. I made rounds to check if the others were okay, putting my guns back into the holsters. I went to check on Wakka last, seeing as he never approved of my pistols. They were machina, (machine type) and every single Yevonite thought that machina was the reason for Sin's existence. I didn't give a damn what anyone thought of them, and every moment I used them Wakka had a comment about them. Unforunately, due to my temper, I would always cock my gun at Wakka. I had never fired, but one day I just might on accident.

My guns were forbidden by Yevon, and many would have me excommunicated. Not that I cared, I was more of a guardian than a summoner, but that would not look good for Yuna. She didn't like my weaponry either, but she found me flip out on Wakka and thought better of trying to tell me off about them. She knew I would never hurt her, but even I had a scary point, and talking to me about my guns set off my temper. Lulu was not a faithful Yevonite, so she never said anything about them. She liked to question things anyway, so she liked to stay out of it. Kimahri said nothing about them, then again, Kimahri barely talked.

I kneeled in front of Wakka, rubbing the towel on him, trying to get water off of him. He and Tidus had been knocked overboard, but they both broke to the surface. "You alright there Captain?" He gave me a thumbs up, trying to catch his breath. I sighed, feeling glad that no one had died aboard the voyage.

When we got to Kilika, however, that was a different matter entirely…

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><p>x.x.x.<p>

The moment we arrived, the solemnity was enough to scare anyone. Half of the village was destroyed. A sending was surely necessary. Yuna had offered to do it, and rushed off with some of the villagers. I never wanted to perform a sending, ever. I didn't even want Yuna to perform a sending. But then the day after we set sail…stupid fucking Sin. He was the reason for everything. I hated that creature with passion. I clenched my fist, looking at the horizon that was tinged with red. It made the entire village become engulfed in the color of fresh blood that had been shed.

I walked to where the sending was going to take place. Lulu had explained to Tidus what a sending was and I stood next to him, just looking out. Yuna stepped onto the water, hovering above the many coffins that had been moved into the waters, so their departed can be swept up to the unknown. Then…it began. How to describe a sending? It is hauntingly beautiful. Yeah, I think that's the best way to describe it. A sending is a dance or prayer for the dearly departed so they can to go the Farplane, a kind of otherworld. It's sad and scary, and then pyreflies erupt from the bodies of the departed and mingle in the air as they drift off in search of the Farplane.

Sendings are necessary so that people who die do not become fiends, filled with anger, regret, or even hate. No one would wish that for their loved ones. So as Yuna danced, I could see her tears mix with the water she danced atop of. My soul wanted to fly out of my body and join the others that were so surely going to the Farplane. I almost wanted to leave this pain filled world and meet my mother…she was in the Farplane…I bit back the tears that were threatening to fall from my eyes, and I could feel Tidus' hand slip into mine, even though his gaze was glued to Yuna as she danced. I wished I knew what he was thinking.

When the sending was over, Yuna rushed over to us and was embraced by Lulu. Her tears had dried, but even Lulu knew she had cried. I smiled sadly at her, and she ran to embrace me as well. Again, all of the air in my lungs became trapped and then I expelled it when she finally released me. I had to figure out what was going on with me. I shook my head, when Tidus tried to ask me questions as we all walked to the inn. I didn't know if I could give him any answers. That night, I tossed and turned in my bed beside Lulu. She ended up pinning me, to get me to sleep and then I drifted off.

The trip to the temple was uneventful, save for meeting the Luca Goers. The males on the team taunted the Aurochs while a few of the ladies were checking out their competition as well as myself. Tidus and I had goaded the Goers about how we would win this year and take home the cup. The Goers left after our little cheer and argument about how the Aurochs would always be the best. We were so pumped up that nothing else seemed to matter, until Yuna had acquired her next aeon. We left the temple and walked back to the port, so we could set sail to Luca immediately. This time, Tidus and I were able to have a decent conversation away from everyone else.

"Kimi."

"Hm?"

"It's been a really long time."

"You have an eye for the obvious, Tidus. I congratulate you." He scowled at me and I couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, don't get so pissy. I'm only kidding. Lighten up. And yes, it _has_ been a long time. I can't believe I would find you of all people here in Spira. It's almost scary."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing bad. I mean it. I just didn't expect to see you here. Let me guess, it's all my old man's fault, huh?" He was going to say something, but nodded instead. "I figured. It was the same thing with me. He must have sent me off first, stayed with you, and then brought you along after. Do you…do you think he's here?"

"I hoped to find him in Luca."

I laughed. "Where? In the Blitzball stadium? He's not going to be going against you in match, Tidus."

"Of course not! But…Luca is a big place. I just…I hope he'll be there. You want to see him too. I'm sure you miss him. Do you want to knock him one for making you come all the way over here?"

"Hm…I'm not like you who wants to just snuff his dad. But…I wouldn't mind giving him one in the kisser for making me move so much. I wouldn't mind it at all."

We talked well into the night that way. It was mostly nonsensical things woven with our lives before this journey and after I left Zanarkand. I found out that Tidus had a few relationships with males under my dad's nose. He was very…intimate with them on the couch a few times and I had to refrain from nearly dying at the image of my dad sitting on the couch and finding a used condom or something. I told him about me being with the ladies even though I still have a minor attraction for males. I also explained that he needed to keep these things on the down low. Not many approved of it in Spira.

"Speaking of the ladies liking you…" Tidus inclined his head over the side where two of the Goers' female players were standing. They were ogling my back and I couldn't help but laugh. "Maybe you should try and seduce a few of the male players. It might get you guys a win. Or are you not that great in bed as you are in the sphere pool?" He gave me a small pinch on the side, making me yelp. I smacked him on the arm and stuck my tongue out, while sauntering up to the second floor of the deck, where Lulu and Wakka once were.

Lulu headed to bed, while Wakka and I were talking about the tournament for a bit. He said they were really going to go for the cup now, and as we were talking Tidus had found a blitzball and was trying to do a shot. I gasped as he got the shot correctly, knocking it in the air and spinning. Then he kicked it harshly, sending it flying far from the boat. Wakka ran downstairs, throwing a blitzball at him, telling him to do the shot again. I smiled, shaking my head at their antics. Amazing…what was that shot? Was it…the Jecht Shot? My dad had told me that Jecht had shown it to him, but was that it?

"You're friend is really good. I suppose we will have to watch out for the Aurochs this year." I turned my head to see one of the female Goers coming next to me, I leaned onto the post that was beside me, trying to be nonchalant. She smiled seeing through my guise and moved a bit closer to me. "Pity you don't play. You look like you would be a great asset. You might even have great talents."

"I was never taught how to play Blitzball professionally. Just for a few fun games is all. I don't think I'm that great at it. Besides, my talents are usually used for something else. Anyway, what's your name?"

"Doram. Yours?"

"Kimi. Pleasure to meet you, Doram."

"Oh, believe me, the pleasure is all mine." She smiled and looked at everyone downstairs. "I believe the Captain is trying to get your attention."

I looked down and saw that Wakka was waving his arms wildly, and then Yuna was following suit. And soon after that, all I saw was the Aurochs and our summoner waving their arms. "I suppose I have to go downstairs now."

"Room 120. You can find me there later, if you want to continue our chat."

I smirked. "I don't recall us chatting, but I think I will take you up on that offer." I left her and walked down to the others. They made sure I stood by Yuna so that Tidus could perform his technique yet again and we had a few more laughs. Wakka and the Aurochs went to bed, and soon Tidus, Yuna, and I followed. I didn't go to the room I had with Lulu, but walked instead to the room that Doram had told me about.

"Um…Kimi?" I stopped in mid stride and Yuna looked at me curiously. "Isn't your room with Lulu over there?" She pointed to a door across from her own room and Tidus was smirking from behind her. I wanted to punch him for it.

"It is, but I'm not going there right now. I will end up sleeping there." _If I got any sleep at all_, I mentioned in my mind. Yuna nodded and went to her room with Kimahri while Tidus scrambled behind me.

"Gonna go meet that Goer who was talking to you on the deck?" I stuck out my tongue. "Have fun. Don't do anything I wouldn't!"

"I don't think there are any couches for me to bottom on, buddy." I laughed when he gave me the finger and went into his room with Wakka. I found the room and knocked on the door. Doram stood before me in her night clothing, and pulled me by the collar into the room, slamming the door behind us. Immediately her lips locked with my own in heated kisses, and I flipped our positions, pinning her to the door.

"Hello again." She said breathlessly when we pulled back for air, and I attacked her neck and arms with more kisses than she could handle. Her clothes came off first as I ripped them off of her body, and she wrapped her pale legs around my waist. She started to rub her naked form on my clothed one, begging for more friction. I locked the door and threw her onto the bed before ripping my own clothes off and nibbling, sucking, and licking at every single part of her skin.

The rest of the night was filled with our hot bodies meeting in passionate touches. Our room was filled with heat, moans, and gasps as we kept kissing, grinding, and touching. She begged for everything whether with her words or with her actions and I would always give her what she wanted as long as reciprocated the action. Her hands loved to tug on my hair whether I was on top of her or kneeling before her, and she couldn't help but scream my name. Doram never wanted to take it slow, she liked it fast and hard and that was okay by me. We already knew this was just a one night thing and that it held no other purpose except for release.

We didn't sleep for a long time, until both of our cores were sore from our actions. She fell asleep in my arms, nuzzling into my breasts, and my legs were tangled with her own. Our hair was tangled as well in a mix of colors, wrapping both of us like the blankets that were pooled in the middle of our bodies. Doram didn't snore, but it was like she sighed contentedly as I laid there, giving her some sort of comfort. I smiled, wishing that maybe one day I'll have something like this for the rest of my life, and sorted anything that could tell me otherwise away.

A few hours before anyone else woke up, I untangled myself from Doram and placed a kiss on her lips and forehead. I dressed myself quickly, unlocking the door and closing it just as quietly as I had opened it. I walked to the room I shared with Lulu, finding her awake and fixing her clothes. "Slept well in another woman's room, Kimi?" My cheeks were colored scarlet and I quickly went to go and wash parts of my body with a basin. I cam back out, feeling a bit more refreshed, but still a little sore. Doram really did a number on me…how many times did we do it?

I had no real time to contemplate it as the door was busted open and Tidus rushed into the room, giving me a crushing hug. He started talking animatedly about Luca and if you didn't know he loved Blitzball, you would surely know it that morning. Despite me being up for a little while, I am not a morning person. I threw Tidus off of me and yelled at him to go and get rid of his energy. It was inhuman to be that perky in the bloody morning. He didn't pay me any mind and just dragged me up to the deck so we could look at Luca. The entire place was magnificent. I couldn't wait to get out of the boat and walk it's streets. It was large and I could see the stadium from where we were. I almost wished I was playing the tournament, but then I remembered I'll be watching the games from the stands.

Luca had nothing on Zanarkand, that was for sure. But it was still so awesome. When we finally docked, I rushed out of the boat, eager to do some walking. No one heeded my plea as we found out Maester Mika was going to be here and so Yuna had asked if we would all join her. We followed and found his boat, where every Yevonite was in ecstasy with his presence. A Maester is one of the leaders of Spira. They are also the biggest priests in Spira and follow Yevon to the core. I could care less about this old fellow as well as the one who was coming behind him. His name was Maester Seymour. From what I could tell, he was half Guado ( a race of Spira that I have never gotten the definition of) and half human. He had blue hair, and clear eyes flecked with blue. They almost seemed like a light blue, the same color as the tattoos that adorned his face.

His gaze was creepy and Tidus and I shared a look. He must have been thinking the same thing. His gaze got to our little group and I could tell he stared at Yuna with more than just one look. He was looking through her and at her at the exact same time. There were dark desires behind that gaze of his, and I did not like it one bit. Yuna clutched at her chest and I glared at the Maester. He smirked at me and soon enough the crowd dissipated as everyone followed the Maesters. Wakka said something about how this was his lucky day, but I paid no attention to it. Something was definitely off about Seymour.

I sighed and found myself being left with Wakka, Lulu, and the Aurochs. The boys kept rambling about how awesome the tournament was going to be and I kept telling them that they had better win or else. I had money riding on these guys and I did not want to lose. I was a rather sore loser for these kinds of things. Lulu scoffed. She had seen me bet my gil and tried to stop me once. I took no heed of her and did it anyway. I was stubborn and would get what I wanted. I was always told it would kill me one day, and if it does…I had a good life, at least I think so.

Would my dad even come to the funeral if I died? I wondered about it. Probably not though. He would rather come visit me in the Farplane if he ever heard about it. That mean old bastard. He left me and would probably never find out if I did die or not. Thinking about it gave me a bitter taste in my mouth. Unless if he was dead. No. Tidus is here, he has to be here somewhere too. I'm sure of it. That old man wouldn't let death touch him, not for anything. He was stronger than death, and I knew that I would see him.

I just didn't expect it to be so soon…

* * *

><p>Extra Notes: Hope you guys like the added stuff. I also changed a few other things and made it a bit longer. Thanks for reading!<p>

xoxoxo


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Spiral of Love

Pairings: Kimiko/Rikku (main/eventual), Auron/Tidus, Yuna/Tidus (smidgen), Wakka/Lulu, Kimiko/Yuna (smidgen)

Summary: Kimiko is the daughter or Sir Auron and a guardian of Lady Yuna…love is not that hard to come by in a group of eccentric people, but is the one she loves going to respond to her advances?

Warnings: Violence, gore, disturbing images in this chapter.

Disclaimer: If I owned them do you really think I would be writing about them?

Notes: Remember when this was discontinued? Then I started playing FFX and I couldn't just stop. Anyway, I am rewriting the chapters, making them longer and putting even more information, yay!

Thanks to: my lovely beta reader Exxal! You're a doll and I am so happy that you helped me with this fic!

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><p><em>Chapter 2 <em>

Well, that was…eventful. Currently, I am standing with a few of my fellow guardians and Yuna. We're all waiting for Tidus to arrive because somewhere along the lines of the Blitball match, fiends appeared. Naturally, as guardians, the urge to protect Yuna is strong. So, we all veered off to different paths in order to find her, and save her if it was necessary. She is our main priority after all. However, that doesn't mean we can just go off and do whatever we want, and forget the other Spirans. No, it is not like that at all. I ended up saving more asses of Spirans than I did my summoner, but I had no other choice, can't let people die.

In any case, I had a hell of a lot of fun beating the crap out of fiends. Shooting them down, kicking the hell out of them the moment they attacked, I would get such a rush from it! It was like I was a fighting machine…but the moment died the second I saw my father right before my eyes and fighting like he hadn't aged a bit! He looked the same as always, still wearing that Yevon forsaken bright red coat, and the same haughty attitude he always had. Loved him though…I really did, sometimes I look up to him.

Remember, I said sometimes.

Anyway, the moment he walked past me, my knees felt weak, and suddenly I couldn't stand on my own anymore. There were so many things I wanted to say, ask, do…but he would hear none of that. The first thing he said to me? "Later. We have no time now." His voice was just as gruff as it always had been when I was a kid. He felt so old then, and looking at him, he hadn't aged since I was a kid. It was funny how that was. I shook my head, willing myself to stand again, but even so, I had to have help from Tidus. He was just as shocked as I was.

When I was back on my feet, it was go time. Fiends were no match for the three of us, and soon my adrenaline rush kicked in again. Sometime while we were fighting, a massive Aeon had been summoned out of nowhere. I immediately ceased my attacks to turn my attention to it, because the energy I was getting from it was so dark and depressingly sad. Either way, it got the job done as fiends exploded into pyreflies easily. The attacks continued on in rapid succession until all of the fiends in the perimeter of the Blitzball stadium were gone.

"Amazing…" I remember I said. When I looked at the Aeon, I could see that the person who had summoned him had been none other than Maester Seymour. How could he have such a powerful Aeon? The second I saw that he was our savior, I glared. Of course, I'm grateful for him saving everyone in the stadium, but he is just so…abnormal and creepy. I don't care what anyone else thinks, Seymour is one creepy dude and I don't want to be within a mile of him. That is just how much he creeps me out. I don't want to be near him at all.

As I continued to glare at the box area, I felt a tug on my hand and turned. Tidus was pointing at the direction my father was running and I couldn't do anything but follow the two of them. I had my father within my grasp, I was not going to let him get away this time. Whatever it took, he was going to give me some answers today! We ended up killing more fiends outside the stadium to help the citizens and visitors of Luca. After a few more rounds in my pistols, they were inevitably gone, and so I had to become the human shield. Tidus and my father ended up using a few potions on me, but it was all worth it for the protection I gave them.

Despite all my thoughts of staying with my father and getting answers, I ended losing him and Tidus in the process of fighting fiends for Spirans. I groaned as I realized that my chance to talk to my dad was lost yet again, and that pissed me off to no end. Since I had no partners to fight with, or ammunition in which to attack with, I had to duck and dive as I tried to find the rest of the guardian troupe. I found my way to the docks, however, and was able to restock my pistols, finally regaining power. After that, I found my way back to Luca Square and ran straight into Lulu and Wakka.

I shouted their names, and faced me. They ended up clucking at me like a bunch of mother hens as they checked for any bruises, cuts, or fatal wounds. They were just like parents sometimes. It's the reason they're so close to me and Yuna. Kinda funny, and it could also be annoying, but I know they do it out of love. Shrugging off their tender loving care, I told them I was completely fine and asked them if Yuna was with them.

Lulu was the first to answer me, "She's with Kimahri. They made it upstairs to the entrance of the Mi'hen Highroad. Where is Tidus?"

I scratched my cheek and turned away from them, "With my dad somewhere…I lost them when we were fighting fiends. They could be anywhere right now."

Wakka spoke up this time, his eyes were nearly bulging out of their sockets when I said that. "Sir Auron? No way, he can't be here, ya? I mean, it's just not-"

"Believe me Wakka, if I hadn't seen him with my own eyes I would still think that the old man was dead and long gone. He's here though, I saw him myself, and Tidus was with us. Maybe we should just wait for them where Yuna is? It is the only way to get out of here and to the Highroad. Since we're on a pilgrimage my old man should know what's like."

Lulu nodded and began walking, while Wakka patted me on the back. We ended up meeting Yuna and Kimahri first, as we expected, and that's where I am right now. We're just waiting for Tidus to show up and hopefully, my father as well. However, I wasn't jolly to be standing around doing absolutely nothing. I was getting pretty damn impatient, and I was on the verge of complaining about how long they were taking and they needed to get their asses moving when I heard some harsh footsteps coming towards us. Following the heard of shoopufs walking (as I assumed it was) there were a few footsteps that were clumsy, like the person was forced to walk.

Turning around, I saw my dad and a very grumpy Tidus coming up to us. I cocked my head wondering why the hell Tidus looked so down and my gaze went directly to my dad. I crossed my arms as I stood beside Yuna as he talked directly to her. He asked to be her guardian and to take Tidus along for the ride. He stared at the rest of us for support, lingering on me last, and I turned my head away from him. Sure, it was a bratty thing to do, but how would you feel if you just saw the bastard who was supposed to raise you for the first time in years?

I wanted to kick, scream, yell, and throw things at him, but that it even more childish. I had to stick with the silence and snotty looks for now. He is a smart man, he can take the hint. Besides, he also pissed off my best buddy, and I tried to capture his eyes, but he wouldn't look at any of us. Soon we moved to the upper stairs that would take us to the Highroad entrance, but as my foot landed on the first step, I heard this awkward laughter behind me.

I turned around tentatively and found Yuna and Tidus being weird…super weird. For starters, they were holding their hips and laughing at the sky…for no reason at all. And it wasn't genuine laughter, it was like they were trying to push out the laughter and get it out there in the open air. Totally freaky…I'm sure they were trying to make themselves laugh, which they finally did, but it was still completely weird.

They finally looked at the rest of us, and I couldn't help but laugh. "You two really got a few screws loose, eh?" Laughing even harder, Tidus started to chase me followed by Yuna. I could hear the others laughing behind us as we were now racing up the staircase to the Mi'hen Highroad. It was nothing particularly special up there, but the three of us "kids" made fighting fiends a special game as there were certain monsters that were easier for some of us guardians to fight. The older folk were amused by our antics and after a while, Tidus got into trouble for trying to spark a conversation with her, which made me start laughing all over again.

I ended up walking with Kimarhi most of the time, which wasn't unpleasant at all. Granted, he wasn't a big talker at all, but it was very peaceful that way. I always wondered if all Ronso were just like Kimahri; the sullen type. Seeing as Ronso are these special race of creatures in Spira, who have a blue skin color and resemble felines, many people won't approach them. They've also got horns, but Kimahri doesn't…well, not anymore anyway. He lost his horn in the middle of combat, but he's pretty cool without it anyway. He's sort of an enigma since he doesn't talk very much, however, he's been taking care of Yuna since her father's Calm, which shows he's loyal as hell.

We finally stopped at the inn here in the middle of the Highroad. We were all getting pretty tired, and my father said something about it being good that an old fart like him gets his rest. I was going to make a snaky comment about that, but Lulu gave me a look before I even dared to utter it. It also looked like I might be rooming with her again after all the hell she gave me in Killika for sleeping in that other chick's room.

Leaning against the wall of the inn on the outside, I stared at the setting sun. It was so beautiful, but also reminded me of Killika. I wondered how the people were holding up there after losing so much. So many people were gone because of Sin's attacks, and it was painful to watch the Sending. It was beautiful, yes, but still haunting and shows that human life is still fragile, especially with such a monster roaming around. I sighed, thinking of the fact that right after that, the following day, Yuna obtained her second Aeon after hearing from some really trashy summoner named Dona. That poor girl should quit while she's ahead, she was so not going to amount to anything, that was for certain.

I realize that the pilgrimage was not a time for fun and games, screwing up, or worrying about the little things. It was going to be increasingly difficult, and there were going to be so many hardships for various people. While fighting fiends today in Luca, and on the Highroad, we were holding our own but also trying to work together as a team…Fleetingly I wondered exactly what the future was going to hold for all of us, especially our summoner. Her back turned to me, I stared at Yuna's silhouette sadly, I knew I wouldn't be able to live in a world with Yuna.

"Don't give things too much thought, or else your face might stay in that scowl permanently." I looked at my father and stuck my tongue out at him for the smartass remark.

"Trying to say I'm not allowed to think, you old coot?"

"Depends if your brain will implode or not."

"Hey!" I huffed as she smiled and walked on over to Yuna and now, Tidus. He exchanged a few words with them before returning to me and placing his hand on my shoulder. "Hm?" I asked, as I looked at him expectantly. Instead of saying anything like a normal person, he just shook his head, and hurried into the inn. I turned and look at the entrance of the inn, wondering it could possibly be that he was going to say, while my friends crept behind me asking what was that about. "Don't know. He's still as weird as ever." Tidus kept trying to press the issue, so I kicked him in the shin, which sent him to the ground.

"Kimi!" I shrugged and walked inside of the inn as Yuna rushed to help Tidus. My mood had quickly changed. I wasn't in the mood for anyone. Perhaps, I needed to rest? Thinking I had a room with Lulu, I went there only to find that Yevon wasn't pleased with me, and Tidus was going to be my roommate. The moment I entered the room and closed the door, we were engaged in an all-out pillow fight. Feathers were flying everywhere as we kept hitting one another with them. It was actually hilarious and it brought my spirits up.

Unfortunately, we were apparently being too loud and so Kimahri and my dad came in to see what the fuss was all about. We promptly stopped our fight, settled into the bed like good kids, and pretended like we were going to sleep. However, that was not on our list of priorities, so Tidus and I ended up staying up because of all the excess energy we had. As the other two left us, I heard Tidus ask me, "Can you believe it?" I looked at him, completely confused. "He's here, Kimi. He's really here…"

"You mean my dad?" He nodded. "Can't say I'm not surprised…don't know if I'm all that ecstatic to see him again, know what I mean? Like…I'm not prepared for it or something…it's a really weird feeling." I shrugged, wishing I knew how to explain this feeling better. It was…mixed in a way, and a huge pile of guilt was dumped on me for that.

"Course you're not prepared for that. I wasn't prepared to see you. You weren't prepared to see me. But how's that any different? I don't see any problem."

I rubbed my forehead, getting a bit exasperated with him. "Okay. What's it gonna be like when you finally see Jecht again, hm? What then? Is it going to be everything you dreamed of and more?"

Shooting me a look, he answered the question. "I told you, I'm gonna smack him one for everything he's putting me through. My relationship isn't the same you got with Auron. Hell, it's not the one I got with Auron either. You like your dad and want to be like him, even though you're a girl." I kicked him in the shin again. He's definitely gonna have a strong shin because of me. "Ow! What the hell was that for?"

"For being an asshole. Saying things like 'because you're a girl.' You know I hate that! Besides…I wanted to punch dad once, when I saw him with you. But…that feeling's kinda gone away. I think it did anyway. Now it's more 'where have you been' and why didn't you tell me diddly squat' you know? I'm just…all confused."

Tidus nodded, and pulled me in for a hug. "I know. I understand ya." We ended up falling asleep in that position. The following morning, dad and Wakka came into the room to wake us, but instead we got Wakka teasing us and calling us a "sleeping couple." My dad just stared at us amused until I stared to chase Wakka out of room, and Lulu had to drag me back inside so I could get dressed. Then dad decided to give me a lecture on propriety-as if he was one to talk!-while Yuna blushed asking us several times if we were a couple. On the way to gates of Mushroom Rock Road, we had to keep convincing her that no, we weren't a couple at all. She didn't fully believe us, but the subject was soon dropped anyway.

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><p>X.X.X.<p>

"The hell you mean you won't let us pass?" I shouted angrily, holding the officer by his collar, and ready to shank him with his weapon.

"Kimi, compose yourself. We do not need any disruptions, nor will it be a good idea to have you arrested. Release him, and leave him be." I huffed in response, but let the bastard drop, and sauntered over to the chocobo owner. Maybe she could calm me down with the chocobo talk and I would be a-okay for the next few hours or so. I noticed that after a while, things were going nowhere and went back to the group. Unfortunately, Maester Seymour made his appearance right then and there, and again he haughtily winked at me before speaking to the soldiers to let us through.

Everyone was striding past him, but for a second I could feel his hand touch my arm slightly. My glare became much more vicious just for him, and he shrank away, walking faster to the operation area. Tidus could see that I was upset as put his arm around my shoulders. Again, it wasn't making it any easier on the case of me and Tidus being together, but I didn't care. I let the two of us walk like that until we got to the operation area, figuring out that something was totally not right, and I wanted to get away but was trapped. I could tell that whatever was going down was going to shake us, make us, or break us; I wasn't sure which one it was going to be unless, all three.

Walking in to the upper tier of Mushroom Rock Road, a few miles away from the Djose Highroad that we needed to get to the next temple, I noticed there were hundreds of canons lining the coast and crusaders milling about everywhere. Tidus let me go, and I leaned against the rocks beginning to get a bit sick, feeling that something was going to go completely wrong. I could already imagine the devastation that was going to take place before the operation was explained to us. Knowing what happened to Wakka's brother, Chappu…I could just imagine was going to happen to the men and women here.

We should have just stayed at the inn a little longer, never passed through here. If there was another way to get to Djose, I wish we had taken that instead of walking into the middle of this. I wouldn't let anyone see me panic, but inside of myself, I was losing it. My whole body and mind were screaming, and I was ready to give out at a moment's notice. This was on a while other scale from fiends.

These people were actively going after Sin. That's what they were gathered here to do. People of Yevon were teaming with the Al Bhed (a race of people in Spira who were predominantly blond with green eyes and have spirals in their pupils) and they were going to bring down their common enemy. This kind of plan was doomed form the start, even that dirty rat Maester Kinoc, who was a friend of my dad's once, told us that. My father and I locked eyes, and I shook my head. He inched his head, knowing my exact meaning.

I wanted to get out of here.

When it began, the only thing I could do…was watch.

My heart started pounding, and the blood rushed to my ears. They carried the Sinspawn out of it's cage and released it. Unfortunately, it was unstable and so my team and I had to take care of the damned fiend. Instead of killing it, like we had hoped, we ended up wounding it. That was more than enough to call Sin out to us, and then the true part of the operation began.

The images of this will always remain in my mind. Right when I close my eyes, behind the skin folds, this will replay forever and ever.

The Al Bhed began firing a gigantic canon-beam they built. The beams did strike Sin at first, while there were Crusaders on the shore fighting the rest of the Sinspawn that were docking and trying to get to the rest of us. However, the first thing that failed us all was the canon-beam. Sin was able to release it's own counterattack, which broke the canon-beam in half and toppled right into the rocks, killing at least a hundred to two hundred people on the shore and inside the canon-beam combined.

I didn't turn my eyes away as I watched it fall. I could hear Yuna scream, praying for something, anything to work.

My father's hand was tugging my arm next as I returned my full attention to Sin, to see a bright pale light coming towards the shore, and us, in one fell swoop. The people on the front lines of the shore didn't just die; they evaporated like nothing.

I watched their blood become a part of the air.

Then the rock began to fall, bringing us down with it. And I blacked out.

There was nothing else for me now. I was going to die here. If I wasn't there to protect Yuna, hopefully the others would be able to. Maybe, the Crusaders and I who died would be honored, told about…something.

Or nothing.

And there was nothing but darkness. Not even a sound to help me ease into death.

Utter and complete silence.

I was scared; incredibly afraid.

Then…the ground trembled, and I slowly opened my eyes. I was…still alive? How…Why…There were sounds again, but nothing that made any sense. There were so many cries that were piercing my ears like painful bullets lodged into the eardrum and plunging in incessantly. Blood and dirt was lodged into my nasal cavities like a permanent stench. I grit my teeth realizing I could smell death…decay, blood, and dirt. It was horrific.

Not only was I smelling it. I was touching it. Death was all over my body. I have never been so horrified in my life. My eyes were able to widen and that's when I looked at what was in front of me. The person's face was gone, all that was left was blood and bone. Whatever the body was, was mangled and twisted at an awkward angle and still slightly moving…not caught up with the fact that it's dead. If it had a face…I could imagine it screaming in agony, the mouth open in horror for all eternity.

I made myself push myself into a kneeling position. Using the body as a crutch to get up slightly, feeling the blood coat my hands and fingers. The flesh was still warm, and the bone was quickly becoming brittle. I coughed and retched. The nauseating feeling of bile started to creep within my throat, and I bit it back down. No, Kimi. You cannot be weak. Panting as I used the body as leverage to get up, I realized that it wasn't just one body that was in front of me…there were several surrounding me, like they gave their lives just for me.

It was enough to get me to kneel again. My hands were soaked in someone else's blood and guts, and I could see organs and limbs lining the shore and around me. People were torn apart left and right and it felt like I was the only person left in Spira. My hands went to my hair, beginning to pull. I got some strands out as I cried out; screaming. Death was way too tangible in front of me.

I touched it. I touched it. I touched it.

Why am I not dead? WHY?

Slamming my hands on the floor, I started to beat the ground as if were the transgressor. As if it was the one who had done this to me; to us; to the Crusaders. I looked outward, seeing the sea as peaceful and calm as ever. It reminded me faintly of Zanarkand. The one that I had been able to live in. Not the ruins that people are always talking about now. It was comforting. It was a small glimmer of hope.

There were tears running down my face. At this point, I don't give a fuck about someone perceiving me as weak. I'm alive, and that's what matters. I was afraid, but happy. I survived this. Shakily I stood up, beginning to pray over the bodies, and start a sending for them. Before I could even do this, a blur had whizzed past me and I looked up to see it run straight to the shore and stop. I could tell it was yelling, but all I heard was the screeches of loud booming noises and yells. It was not a good sound.

I noticed the clothes. It was Tidus. Shouting at Sin.

I clutched my stomach, wanting to throw up again, and yet I also wanted to cry more. My heart was breaking more and more by the minute. Somehow, I know…there is a connection between Tidus and Sin. I just don't know what it is. I sniffed, the sending forgotten, and pyreflies started to envelop me. I turned my attention to see Yuna doing it and I shook my head. She didn't deserve to see all this death and destruction.

"Ugh…" I tried to walk, wondering where everyone else was, but Tidus ran up to me and started talking. His talking was yelling, and since I was deaf, I couldn't hear anything. "Tidus." I patted his lips with my bloodstained hands, in which he finally took a look at me, and grabbed my arm. We started running around to find everyone. Lulu and Wakka were safe and sound together. Kimahri was with Yuna, and the last person to find was my dad. My heart was beating wildly within my chest as we scrambled to find him. Eventually he emerged completely fine, and stared at me. I looked like shit, and felt like shit, and naturally, I stared back.

We rushed off to find Yuna, who healed my ear. It turned out that I was only able to hear the high pitched screams of agony instead of deciphering any real words. Nothing was able to register except for the horrific sounds of those people dying, in pain, or crying because look around them…it can make anyone go insane.

None of us talked about what just transpired as we started on the Djose Highroad. We knew what happened, saw the casualties firsthand, in my case I was able to touch them, which brought tears to my eyes as I thought about the mangled body…The next few nights, I was only going to be able to see the countless bodies. Their faces were all turned upwards, their eyes held no vibrancy, and they were all dead. Blood was covering the plain; letting me swim in it, covering me and holding me down in their blood like a pool, and the bones gathering around me asking me why wasn't I among them.

I closed my eyes as we walked, but the images were burned into me eyes when they were opened or closed!

My father patted my arm reassuringly every so often.

Death was scary as all hell…

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><p>Extra Notes: Trying to get rewrites as soon as possible! Hope you like this chapter?<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Spiral of Love

Pairings: Kimiko/Rikku (main/eventual), Auron/Tidus, Yuna/Tidus (smidgen), Wakka/Lulu, Kimiko/Yuna (smidgen)

Summary: Kimiko is the daughter or Sir Auron and a guardian of Lady Yuna…love is not that hard to come by in a group of eccentric people, but is the one she loves going to respond to her advances?

Warnings: Vulgarity?

Disclaimer: If I owned them do you really think I would be writing about them?

Notes: I suck at updates, here's another rewrite, and I'll try to get the next installment up as quick as I can.

Thanks to: my lovely beta reader Exxal! You're a doll and I am so happy that you helped me with this fic!

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><p><em>Chapter Three<em>

Upon our arrival at Djose, we found out that there was someone already praying to the Fayth—the spirits that take the forms of Aeons. Massive boulders lined the perimeter of the temple, as well as covered it from top to bottom. From the untrained eye, there would be no way to enter its depths; however there are two doors sneakily hidden right beneath all of the rock. Normally, when a summoner visited Djose Temple they would have to "greet" it. This entailed doing the infamous prayer pose that many Spirans do; it requires a lot of flailing the arms above the head and bringing them together to make their hands mimic a blitzball. In actuality, I hate the damned thing but Yuna's a summoner and loves doing that so what can I do? Fortunately for us, Yuna didn't have to greet the temple and our group was able to watch lightning tear apart the structure and the doors parted for us. We dashed inside hoping that we would come face to face with the summoner that was within. Luckily, we found him right as he was exiting from the Cloister of Trials.

His name was Issaru. His guardians-his brothers actually-were Pacce and Maroda. Pacce was only a child which confused the hell out of me as well as scared me half to death because I understood what a pilgrimage entailed. Maroda on the other hand, was a year younger than Issaru. I was sure that he understood exactly what a pilgrimage meant for his brother by the sideways glances he threw at Yuna and Issaru as they spoke. The summoner talked to Yuna about her father, explaining that he felt that her father was quite the role model, and we vaguely wondered if he might have knew the man. When he told us that he did not, Yuna was slightly disappointed but then her façade of happiness came right back and the two of them parted ways while our group was supposed to go up to the Cloisters next.

The entire group wandered up the staircase as Tidus and I fell into step with one another. The second my foot touched one of the stairs, Maroda called out to us. The two of us turned slightly to look at him as he fought with himself on what to say to us. "Take care and guard your summoner well. There have been reports on summoners just…disappearing. It would be a shame if something were to happen to her." My eyebrow raised as Tidus was about to say something but I touched his arm.

"There will be nothing to worry about," I said. "We'll all be watching over her. I just hope that nothing happens to you as well, Issaru. Take care of yourself. All of you." They nodded and Pacce tugged on his elder brother's arm asking if he was being a good guardian. After comforting him and giving us a parting nod, they left us to our thoughts.

"Disappearing summoners, huh? Things just keep getting better and better." I gave Tidus a face after he had said that. "What?"

"No need to be sarcastic. Come on, the others are going through the Cloister of Trials already. Meanwhile, you're just here complaining. Wasting time like this won't bring us any closer to Zanarkand, you know? I want to see it just as bad as you do. Let's go." I tugged on his arm to follow me as we ran up the stairs and into the Cloister.

By the time we reached everyone else, they were already climbing to where the Chamber of Fayth was. As Yuna was inside praying her heart out for the next Aeon, we were confronted yet again by "Lady" Dona and her intellectually-challenged guardian Barthello. The woman's guardian had a fit once he saw my father and I fought the urge to laugh so hard. He was so happy to see "The Sir Auron" and couldn't help but shake his hand while Dona was making annoying comments the whole time. The second Yuna emerged we had to run to her and help her up.

"All these guardians and Sir Auron too? And I hear Maester Seymour is quite smitten with you. The world must look different when you're the daughter or Lord Braska." One of my hands balled into a fist and Tidus held me back so I wouldn't punch Dona right in her smug and arrogant face. Yuna said something to her but I barely listened as I was promptly rushed out of the chamber alongside everyone else.

"Ugh! She's so…so…gah!" I flailed my arms as Tidus had to continually calm me down. Yuna was smiling for some reason, but the others—not all that happy for me wanting to punch her. I'm sorry, I'm a little hard-headed and hot-tempered.

"That could have gone better." Lulu muttered and shook her head. She cast a glance back up the stairs before turning to look at us. "Let's sleep here in the temple for the night. We can cover more ground tomorrow. It's been a long day, besides there are a lot more people we can help here, hm?" Everyone agreed, and so we all left her to take care of the room assignments for our stay.

I ended up being with Yuna, but we didn't hit the beds for a long time. We were up working most of the night. It was a grueling process, as well as heartbreaking in so many ways. Yuna and I healed so many…and sent so many…but it was all for the good of the people. By the time my body made contact with the bed, I conked out before I knew it.

Of course, there were still bodies and pyreflies lining my field of vision, not to mention the fact that there was a torrent of blood scattered across the plain…the nightmare continued to last every single moment my eyes were closed and I tried to dream. There was a thick sheen of sweat covering my entire body when I finally did wake up. Yuna was still fast asleep and it looked like her dreams were affecting her just as much as mine were. Her covers were pulled off and away, and she shivered.

"She doesn't deserve all this pain. We've only just begun." I shook my head as I whispered to myself. Throwing my own covers somewhere else on the bed, I moved over to Yuna's bed and pulled hers up. I tucked her in as she shifted yet again. She mumbled something in her sleep and before I realized what I was doing, my lips connected with her forehead. "It'll be alright." I whispered to her, hoping that would calm her down even if it were only for a little while. My lips didn't leave her forehead until her movement stalled and I smiled.

Dressing myself, I wandered out of the room and found my father in the middle of the temple. He was gazing up at the statues littering the inside. He almost looked like some reverent citizen of Spira looking up to the High Summoners of the past and asking them for guidance; however I knew he was reminiscing about something from his first pilgrimage.

"I remember when I first came here with Jecht and Braska. It seems so long ago."

I smiled a little, knowingly. "You three had some really good times, hm?" He nodded. "A story? For old times' sake?" I asked, hopeful for some new and funny information.

He grunted and said, "I have a feeling, that I told you all about it." I poked his shoulder as he made some gruff comment that sounded like a small growl and I felt a little better.

"You could have just made something up, old man. It didn't even have to be true. Now I wonder who might have been the better storyteller out of you three." He gave me a look that only made me laugh.

This felt so much more normal than I had felt in a long time. When I was younger, and we lived in Zanarkand together, I would tease him and he would just go along with it. I wondered where all the time went and when I started growing up yet again. Looking around at the statues of the summoners and imagining Yuna might be one of them, I just wished we could have stayed two young kids back in Besaid when I first arrived and she became my friend. Or maybe I just wanted to go back to the way things were in Zanarkand…or just when I lived with my mother.

"Let's greet the dawn and wait for everyone else. This place has always been stuffy." His words broke me out of my reverie and I smiled. I followed him outside as the sun began to rise. The rocks of Djose Temple were unmoving now, and pyreflies roamed to and fro. I suspected that there were summoners who were still doing Sendings at this point and time.

"If only there weren't so many…" I muttered. If my father had heard my words, he made no comment.

I don't know how long we stood there—just the two of us. Eventually, the rest of Yuna's guardians exited the temple to find us. Tidus gave us a weird look as I shook my head and mouthed, "Later," to him. Immediately he understood the father-daughter scene would be explained in due time. Then he realized that Yuna was still missing while everyone else was outside.

"Is she still asleep I wonder?" Tidus ran inside the temple and fetched her. He came out before she did, and then she appeared, her hair a complete and total mess. I couldn't help but chuckle at the scene. She was always so calm and composed, but right now she looked so bewildered. "Nice bed hair, Yuna!" She shot me a look that sent me into more laughter, and soon everyone had joined in the fun. When we had our fill of teasing her, we started our trek to the Moonflow which is one of the most beautiful places in all of Spira, in my opinion.

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><p>x.x.x.<p>

How to describe the Moonflow? First, it's an expanse of land with a river in between that any must cross with the help of a Shoopuf. A Shoopuf is an elephantine animal that people ride, on a caravan. No one knows what Shoopuf eat, because no one has ever seen them consume anything. I used to believe that they might drink the water or some of the plants that pyreflies rest on top of. Oh yeah, that's the reason it's called the Moonflow. There are dozens upon dozens of pyreflies roaming the area. Most are concentrated over the river, which makes it look like its glowing. And at night, it's a really beautiful sight to behold. I get giddy every time I've seen it!

I used to come here with my mother, before she was killed by Sin. We used to take a lot of rides just for fun. The Shoopufs always amazed me and I wanted to get close to one's nose. However, it sprayed me once with water…that wasn't exactly what I wanted, but I was close to it anyway. Almost fell in to the water that day, and my mom was none too happy. I had to tell her so many times that I was totally okay and that it was unnecessary for her to yell at the Hypellos.

The Hypellos are the ones in charge of the Shoopufs. They work around here in the Moonflow and keep the place together. They're these blue creatures with huge bug eyes. They're really nice, despite their odd appearance. But I'm sure there are just so many odd things in Spira, it really isn't so odd.

Tidus couldn't help but gawk at the Shoopuf and I laughed. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"What the-whoa!"

"This is a Shoopuf!" Wakka came up behind us, and clapped him on the back.

"Let's ride!" Tidus shouted and I started laughing. "What?"

"You're so excited!"

"That thing is so cool and huge! I can't wait to get on!" That sent me into another fit of giggles. "Get your mind out of the gutter, Kimi!"

"Haha, I didn't-" I laughed harder and almost snorted. "-say any-" I couldn't stop my laughter. "-thing!" My father ended up coming over, giving me a look that clearly looked like he wanted to know what was so hilarious. I instantly shut my mouth and my laughter died in my throat.

"Shoopufs! I haven't ridden one in so long." We all looked over at Yuna curiously, and she explained that she had got on with Kimahri once. She ended up falling over and the Shoopuf picked her up with its nose. She fell in three more times for fun, making Kimahri worry. We all laughed as she looked apologetically at Kimahri. "I'm sorry."

I wrapped my arm around her shoulder, still laughing a little. "I'm sure you had a lot of fun. It's not like you were the only one who made friends with a Shoopuf. C'mon, I'm dying to get on! It's been a hell of a long time!" Everyone had agreed with me and started to get any necessary items for our trip on the other side of the river. Tidus and I wandered around for a little bit before getting back to my father. He started to tell us the story of Tidus' dad, Jecht. He ended up thinking the Shoopuf was fiend while he was drunk, and struck it with his blade. I winced at the mention of anyone trying to attack the animal. In any case, Jecht swore off drinking at that point in time so he wouldn't hurt anyone or anything else. Apparently, he was one horrible drunk.

When we were all ready, we got on the Shoopuf. Wakka pointed out in the water, and Tidus' eyes almost bulged out of his head. There were pieces that we could assume were from a sunken city. Wakka decided to give us one of his "Yevon lessons" which I had tuned out, so that I wouldn't dare argue with him, lest we start fighting and I throw him off of the Shoopuf. That wouldn't be a very good way (or ladylike way) to behave. Honestly, I hated it when Wakka started to lecture; he was too focused with those stupid teachings. I wondered how Chappu had ever dealt with it. Looking at Wakka, I'm sure he would still be sensitive if I ever brought up his brother.

Turning back to the water, I saw something moving beneath the surface. I tilted my upper body a bit more so I could stare down into the depths, wondering what it could be. I blinked, and all of a sudden, the water splashed and up came two Al Bhed men. They were about to grab me, but I pushed my body backwards and kicked them each in the gut. However, as I kicked my attackers, no one noticed that two more Al Bhed men sprang up on the other side of the caravan. Instead of me, they reached in and grabbed Yuna, bringing her down with them.

Tidus and Wakka jumped out after them, swimming downwards. It was a long time before anyone came back to the surface. I screamed and shouted their names, wishing, hoping, that someone would come back up. Suddenly, after what seemed like an eternity, Tidus broke the surface with Yuna in tow. Then Wakka came up after them. The rest of us pulled the three of them back into our little seating area. I had purchased a vest from one of the vendors here in the Moonflow, and thank goodness I did. It only made it to my midriff, like my shirt, but it was covering something nonetheless. I took it off and put it around Yuna, whereas my father took off his coat and placed it over Tidus.

Everyone gave him a look, wondering since when he had become so close with Tidus, but I only chuckled. It was just like the old man to come to Tidus' aid, even after all of these years. He was always going on about how he never wanted to be in charge of kids, though he always had to, but he had a soft spot for us. We both knew he did. I looked over at Tidus. His face seemed a bit more red than usual, and I made a mental note to check his temperature when we arrived in Guadosalam.

"T-thank you, Kimiko…" Yuna sniffed, clutching the vest closer to herself. It didn't cover much, but it did cover her shoulders. She was going to be totally fine.

I smiled at her. "You're welcome. Guess this time wasn't like the other time, huh? The Shoopuf didn't get to pick you up with its nose." She laughed a little at the memory and I had my arms around her for the remainder of the ride on the Shoopuf. I think I was starting to notice something about my feelings for Yuna. As I held her close, I was content with her leaning her head on my shoulder. I could feel Lulu's gaze and I looked at her. Our eyes locked, and I could imagine all of the thoughts that were running through her mind. I was going to ask her "what" but our ride had come to an end, and Yuna had detached herself from me.

I was starting to miss the warmth. She handed my vest back to me with a smile, thanking me for caring about her so much. She bowed to me and I just simply nodded, putting it back on. She turned away from me and my mind was shouting "don't let her go!" It was too late though, she was already making her way down the stairs and walking off towards Guadosalam. Lulu put her hand on my shoulder, a small smile adorning her features. She had this…knowing gaze and I wanted to know what she knew, but she was following Yuna, leaving me perplexed on the spot.

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. It was my time to follow. Soon enough, Tidus ran up next to me and then we started racing. We managed to run past Lulu and Yuna, getting to where the path to Guadosalam began. However, we turned to look at the Moonflow one last time, and we found someone lying on the ground beside the water. Tidus approached her and shook her shoulder. Abruptly after that, the girl had stirred and was starting to sit up. She stood, beginning to take off the armor she was covered in. Naturally, Tidus and I couldn't help but stare. My mouth hung open while he was shouting at her, wondering what she was doing. I was transfixed by the sight of this girl stripping in the middle of a public area. Was she going to bare all?

She didn't. The armor looked like it was pasted onto her, but as she took it off, she revealed the clothes that she was wearing underneath. Her body was glistening with sweat and I blinked as I looked at her. She said something to Tidus that I didn't really catch, and then smiled softly at me. I smiled right back and all of a sudden I felt a stinging pain on my cheek. Tidus slapped the crap out of me in order to bring me to reality. Naturally, I slapped him right back, and we were in the middle of a very mature fight. My father broke it up by grabbing me, and Wakka grabbed Tidus.

The girl was just standing there wondering if we were both okay, and came to check us both. Then, Yuna, Lulu, and Kimahri came into the picture wondering what all of the commotion up here was about and I shrugged out of my father's hold on me. "Nothing, Lulu. Just a little slap war is all. No big deal." Lulu gave me a look of disbelief before turning her attentions to the girl.

"Who is this?"

Tidus spoke up for her as the girl moved behind him. I wondered how old she was, to be acting like that. "Her name's Rikku. She's the one that helped me when I first came to Spira. She's an Al Bhe-be…" Lulu nodded, crossing her arms as she spoke to Yuna softly and away from all of the men. She beckoned to Rikku, who gladly went to them, and spoke with them. Tidus and I shared looks, hoping that we would all be able to figure out what was going on. Soon enough they were finished.

Yuna trudged up to my father, staring up at him. "I would like Rikku to be my guardian. Would that be okay?"

He looked down at her, one eye glimmering, and I couldn't help but want to chuckle. Here was this girl, shorter than the Sir Auron, and she was staring up at him challengingly. Yuna really had some balls for half of the things she was doing. Even if she wouldn't say it in such a "vulgar" term. "Whatever you want to do, we will agree with. I have no say to whom you choose as guardians." He walked over to Rikku, who promptly closed her eyes. "Open your eyes." She opened one of them, and he grunted and walked away.

She opened both of her eyes now and gave us a questioning look. Tidus and I just shrugged, while everyone else followed my dad. "He's one weird old man," she said.

I laughed. "You get used to him. That's just how he is. Oh, I'm Kimiko by the way. You can just call me Kimi. That old man was Sir Auron. You didn't get to talk to Wakka who had the red hair, and Kimahri is the Ronso we are with. I'm sure Yuna and Lulu introduced themselves to you." She nodded. "Well, welcome to the pilgrimage, Rikku. Hope you don't think we're too abnormal." She laughed, shaking her head. "Well…if you think he's abnormal…" I pointed at Tidus. "You're right. He is abnormal." I laughed and Tidus started shouting at me, forcing us to race again with Rikku trailing behind us.

In this manner, we had reached the Guado city of Guadosalam. The entire structure gave me a weird vibe. It felt more like I was in the stretched belly of a toad and I was ready for some acidic type of liquid to seep from the walls and ceiling. None of that happened, of course, but I was still on guard for it to happen. You never know what made this type of structure stay up. Upon our arrival, Seymour's right-hand man came up to us, explaining that the Maester would be more than happy to have an audience with us. Tidus and I shared a look; neither of us had a good feeling about this. We followed the Guado, whose name we found out was Tromell, into the Chateau.

If I thought all of Guadosalam felt like a toad swallowed me up, the inner corridor of the Chateau felt like it was covered in bee sap. I'm serious; don't laugh at me. That's what I thought it was covered in, but Tromell being the lovely host he is, assured me this was not the case. It was some type of specialty wallpaper nonsense that the Guado had come up with. They felt that it had a certain "earthy" quality to it. Yeah, whatever, I still thought it looked like it was covered in bee sap, deal with it. Tromell left us in the corridor, so he could fetch Maester Seymour, and returned only to tell us that he would need a few more minutes. While we were waiting, we each decided to look at the posters of the previous leaders of the Guados that adorned the walls of the corridor.

We found out that the previous Maester/Leader of the Guado, Maester Jyscal, had died recently. Usually something like that wouldn't interest me, but there was something off in the way that Tromell discussed it; like it was bound to happen. Now, I'm not expert on Maesters, but I do know that Jyscal was a well-loved and respected Maester. Something smelled wrong, and I am sure it wasn't just the wallpaper. I turned my attention to my father and patted his arm. He looked at me curiously and I gestured at Tromell. He seemed to get what I was getting at and whispered to me, "Discuss, later." I nodded.

At that moment, Maester Seymour arrived, and we followed him into the audience chamber. I barely followed any of his gibberish, until he started to give us a presentation. Immediately the audience chamber was engulfed in a warm light and we were transported through a sea of stars. Wakka, Rikku, and I tried to grab the stars that were spiraling around us, as if we would be able to touch them.

Then the stars changed into a rendition of Zanarkand. It was mine and Tidus' Zanarkand. Tears were welling up in my eyes and I tried to control myself. I would not cry while I was in the presence of Maester Seymour, or anyone here for that matter. I could hear Tidus, Yuna, and Seymour comment on this place as Lulu moved over to me. She placed her hand on my shoulder, and there was nothing that she needed to say. I could tell Lulu now believed in the Zanarkand that Tidus and I had told her about—of course it was at different times but the memory was all the same.

Then the world shifted again, and we were no longer gazing at Zanarkand. We were transported to the bedchamber of the first summoner, Lady Yunalesca. Her lover and guardian, Lord Zion was beside her, and I had to turn away. It wasn't a particularly raunchy scene, but the intimacy was something I didn't feel comfortable watching. Call me nuts, but seeing couples kissing or even touch each other in a gentle manner, makes me feel like I'm intruding on what they are doing. As I turned my attention to the wallpaper of the fantasy, the world shifted once more, and we were back to the audience chamber of Guadosalam.

I focused back on Maester Seymour and saw Yuna rather close to him. It looked like he had whispered something to her and she was trying to wrap her mind around it. He smiled at her as she moved away and came towards us, her guardians. Her face was flushed and Rikku commented on it.

"He-he asked me to marry him!"

Tidus and I stepped up, glaring at Seymour. "What?!" we exclaimed simultaneously.

He spewed some more nonsense about how it would benefit Spira in some way or another. I really didn't care for his reasoning; there was no way in hell he was going to get married to Yuna. Not if I had anything to say about it! I looked at her, but her eyes were cast down and she wouldn't look at anyone, seemingly embarrassed. She wouldn't agree to it, would she? No. There was no way in hell. We left the audience chamber soon after that, but not without some parting words from Maester Seymour to my father. He said he had the scent of the Farplane on him, and Tidus, like an imbecile, tried to smell him and got pushed out of the way. That worried me even more. I glared at Seymour, who only smirked at me as he exited the room, just as my companions had on the opposite side of the room.

"Can't have just one normal day on this pilgrimage…"


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Spiral of Love

Pairings: Kimiko/Rikku (main/eventual), Auron/Tidus, Yuna/Tidus (smidgen), Wakka/Lulu, Kimiko/Yuna (smidgen)

Summary: Kimiko is the daughter or Sir Auron and a guardian of Lady Yuna…love is not that hard to come by in a group of eccentric people, but is the one she loves going to respond to her advances?

Warnings: Some violence, and some cursing. But there is fluff!

Disclaimer: If I owned them do you really think I would be writing about them?

Notes: Yay for twists not a part of the story. And I've omitted some things that happened.

Thanks to: my lovely beta reader Exxal! You're a doll and I am so happy that you helped me with this fic!

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><p>Chapter Four<p>

The moment we stepped out of the château; I went over to Yuna to speak about Seymour's proposition. Unfortunately, she had decided she was going to the Farplane before I could even get a word in. I grit my teeth, balled up my fists, and followed my beloved summoner alongside my companions up the stairs to the phantasmagorical place that was the Farplane. It didn't take long for us to walk there, even through the winding corridors, I felt oddly at peace, even though moments before I was ready to rip out someone's throat.

Soon we came to the second staircase that was leading into the void of the Farplane. I noticed that two people had stopped following and stayed at the edge of the steps, watching the rest of us ascend. I stopped myself and looked backward to find out that it was my father and Rikku. Before I could even say anything to the two of them, there was a scream, Yuna's scream to be exact. I pushed my way up to her and found her staring at the entrance to the Farplane.

"Yuna…" I looked at her as she covered her mouth. She was staring at the soul (at least that's what I figured it was) of Maester Jyscal. He was trying to claw his way out of the Farplane and back into the land of the living! I moved toward Yuna and put a hand on her shoulder. She looked at me with tears in her eyes and I could only nod to her. "You have to." I pushed her as the others started to scream for her to send him; he did not belong in this world. She prayed for his soul and the pyreflies rose out of his body and back into the Farplane to mingle with others.

Yuna's resolve strengthened and she went inside, followed by the others except for Rikku, my dad, Tidus, and myself. I looked back at the other three, wondering why they would rather just stay here. I saw my father kneeling on the floor, clutching at his chest, and I ran down to him. "Are you hurt?" I was patting his body trying to find where the damage was, but he only shooed me away and told me to get going. I was going to miss a grand opportunity if I didn't go inside of there. "I'm not going, you're hurt and you won't tell me where!"

"Heh. I'm not hurt, just weak. Remember, I am an old man." I gave him a look. "Go. There is something you should check. You will know when you get there."

I already knew what he was talking about without having to say more. My mother was in the Farplane. He was sending me to go and see her. Would it be the last time I saw her? Would I end up in the Farplane when this was all over? I didn't really know, but I knew it was my time to go in and see her…talk to her, if that was possible. I nodded, leaving him at the edge of the stairs. He was able to stand on his own and lean against one of the pillars. "Don't fall again old man. I won't be able to pick you up the next time. You're getting kinda heavy." I smiled at him when he grunted.

"I'll take care of him. You and Tidus can go inside. You're missing all the fun, ya know?" Tidus stood before her and I moved next to him.

"How come you're not coming up with us? I'm sure he can take care of himself." He pointed at my father, but even I wasn't so sure he would be okay. I was intrigued that Rikku wouldn't want to come to the Farplane with us. It was always said that you could come and visit the departed ones there. I never had a real reason to visit, even when my mother had passed. There was no way to visit her with all of the moving, and so I settled for just musing on what memories we had. That was the way it was supposed to be.

"We Al Bhed believe that when you go in there, all you see a projection of your memories. I'd like to keep my memories inside. Memories are nice, but that's all they are…Well, have fun! You guys better get a move on before everyone starts to wonder. You can tell them that we'll be here waiting." With that she turned around to stare off into the distance. I wondered if it was because she was scared that she was going to find someone that she deeply cared about. That was when I started to thinking about who her family was and if they were missing her. I turned to look at my dad who was gave me a look that read 'get going.' I nodded to him, dragging Tidus up the stairs with me as we walked through a portal to the other side.

It really was like walking into a world in between. I exhaled, not knowing that I had sucked in a breath as we walked through. "Whoa…it's amazing…" I was simply taken away by the whole scene before me. There were dozens upon dozens of pyreflies milling about. Some were scattered over the expanse of a plain, some were floating about waterfalls and rivers, and others were cascading through the air and coming towards us in greeting. I wanted to reach out and touch them; a few swirled around my extended arm, but then left over the jagged rocky platform we were on. "I can't believe I've never been here before."

I didn't notice that I was standing by myself for the longest time. I only noticed when I could hear someone moving towards me, and found myself looking up at Wakka. "Standing with your arm out isn't doing you any good here in the Farplane, ya?" I blinked at him and looked around to find Tidus, he had already moved and was beside Yuna. I pouted. "Hey, hey. No sad faces here. Come on; let's see if we can look for someone to talk to."

"Wakka, did you talk to Chappu?" He had been pulling me with him to a crevice so I could overlook the rest of the area, but his grip on me went slack the moment I said his brother's name.

"I did. Said sorry for all the things I did when I was young. Been too long and I miss him. Good to see him and talk, ya?" I nodded and he started pulling me again. I followed him, noticing that tears began pooling at his eyes. I said nothing else about Chappu, and I think he was glad for it in a way. "Okay. Kimi, who is it that you're really missing and you really want to see? All ya gotta do is think about them really hard. And then, you'll see them. Easy like 1, 2, 3, ya?"

I smiled a little and closed my eyes. All thoughts drifted from my mind and soon I started trying to piece together what my mother had looked like. A gasp had made me open my eyes again and there my mother stood before me. She was just as radiant as she had been when she was alive, by my side all the time. Tears came down and I couldn't stop them. I wanted to reach out and grab her, but I knew that if I felt downward I would never come back up. I didn't even know if I could fall into that plain below or if I would be swept into the seas and drown. The only thing that would be watching was that dark ringed moon overhead, and I didn't even want to know if it was mocking me or not.

"Mom…" Wakka had left me as soon as I had opened my eyes. I suspected he went over to Lulu or someone else. He probably thought it was best to leave me be as I was crying over the same woman I could visit at any time now. "It's been so long…" My salty tears were coming down faster and faster, some falling in between my lips. I wiped at my eyes but it was of no use. This was the only acceptable time to bawl like a baby, and even so I wasn't vocal with my cries. I wanted to have her come hug me, but she wasn't moving. She just stood there like a specter and suddenly I understood what Rikku had meant. This was just a memory of what she looked like. She wouldn't be able to interact with me and that realization was heartbreaking.

I wiped at my eyes over and over again. I could feel my nose running and sniffed, hoping I wouldn't have any snot running down my shirt any time soon. I took a few deep calming breaths and looked at her again. She smiled at me, just as she always did. "It's good to see you. I've missed you so much. I finally found dad again. He didn't want to come in and see you. I wonder if it's because he's had so many run-ins with death that he simply can't bear to see you until it's his time." She just continued to smile at me, as if she understood what I was getting at. "I've made a lot of friends and they're all really amazing. I think…I really like one of my friends, like really like her. Even if that's at all possible and I'm sure it is. I'm pretty sure you would like her too…mom…"

I didn't think my visit would become a confessional, but the words wouldn't stop spilling from my mouth. And all the while, she just stood there…smiling. I know I would have rather had her talk to me as well, but it was the best that this place could do. They showed me that her memory still lives on in me and if I wanted to see her, I could. It wasn't the same as having her physically hold me and tell me everything was going to be all right as I had wished for, but it was still worth it. After I poured out my heart and soul explaining my feelings for another girl, and trading my worries about my father, as well as the pilgrimage and my friends, it was time to leave. Tidus crept behind me, hugging my waist and then turned me around so I could sob a little bit more into his shoulder.

"She's really pretty. You look a lot like her." He patted my head and I laughed a little. "What?"

"It's better than looking like the grumpy old man outside, isn't it?" He wiped a few tears from my eyes and gave me a crushing bear hug. "Breathe…can't….breathe!" He released me and I hit him hard in the same shoulder that I had been crying on. Unbeknownst to me, I was smiling and he took the opportunity to tell me over and over again. He really did love teasing me.

He ran away from me, going through the portal followed by Lulu and Kimahri. I couldn't stop smiling, knowing that he had successfully made me feel better, that jerk. He really was like a brother to me and I turned to look back where my mother had been stationed. She was gone and for a moment I thought to call for her, but I knew she wouldn't come back for my call. I headed to the portal and was stopped with a hand touching my arm. It was such a gentle and tender touch that I almost forgot that it was just me and my companions and was ready to hit the person who had touched me. That was until I found out it was Yuna.

"It's good to see you smile. You should more often, Kimi." She looked up at me and smiled, patting my arm and then looped her own with mine. We walked arm and arm followed by Wakka, making our way to the others. My questions about Seymour and the marriage proposal had been forgotten as we walked out through the tunnel and back to Guadosalam. Then it had hit me full force and when I went to ask her a question, she had already taken her arm away from my own and ran down to the chateau. There was that empty ache again every time she left me.

"You met with her?" I looked at my father who wasn't even looking at me. He was simply staring out into the distance.

"Yeah. She said to stop worrying people and take care of yourself. She also said maybe you should take more showers." I smiled as he grunted in response. I wanted so much to reach my hand out and take his as we followed Yuna and the others to the chateau. It would probably just feel weird if I did that, so I refrained. I don't know, seeing my mother again made me feel like a little girl and I wished so much to act like it. I just wanted to have a happy family. Apparently that was just too much to ask for.

The Sir Auron seemed to notice that I was quite quiet and raised his eyebrow at me. "Thinking too much will make your mind explode."

"Funny, yours hasn't yet." He ruffled my hair like he always does to Tidus, making me shout at him.

We all gathered at the chateau to find out our host had already left. He really did mean it when he said he was going to give Yuna time to dwell on his proposal and just up and left. Tromell explained his deepest sympathies and said some other bullshit that I really didn't care to listen to. We all decided to be well on our way through our pilgrimage and Yuna spoke to Tromell once before we set out. Seymour was at the temple of Macalania, one of the temples we would need to go for Yuna to get an Aeon. Either way, we would be seeing him again and I really wasn't feeling too good about that.

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><p>x.x.x.<p>

We stocked up on supplies and new weaponry from one of the many merchants lazing about Guadosalam and set off. We had to go through the Thunder Plains in order to get to Macalania Forest before getting to the temple. It was going to be an arduous journey just to get through the Thunder Plains because of the fact that the lightning rod towers weren't up to par. What I really mean is that we could get struck…many times over. Coming out of another one of the many tunnels of Guadosalam, it led us to the entrance of the Thunder Plains. Everyone had stepped out of the tunnel, save for Rikku.

We all looked back at her. "Are you coming?" She gave only a really creepy laugh in response and then screeched when thunder rumbled overhead. She made a beeline for me and clutched at my waist, hugging me ever so tightly. "Rikku!" I tried to pull her off but she wouldn't budge. How the hell was I supposed to make it through the Thunder Plains with her if she kept on clutching at me like this? "Rikku, it's okay. It's just a little thunder it's not going to do you any harm." Another rumble of thunder and a harsh flash of lightning made her cower in fear and I was beginning to wonder if that was sweat from dread or was the rain pelting her harshly? I knew I was getting soaked, but it didn't make all the difference to me.

"When I was younger, my older brother and I were at the beach. A fiend came up and my brother decided to try a lightning spell…" Another flash of lightning struck and a rumble of thunder tore through the sky. "He hit me instead! I've been afraid of lightning and thunder ever since…" She gripped me even tighter; I thought we were going to melt into one being if she held on to me any tighter.

My father started walking as did the others. I was still holding onto her, and looking at them exasperated. "Oh come on! You can't just leave us!"

"The quicker we get through here, the less her pain will be." I sighed and looked down at the frightened girl before me. What have I ever done to deserve this babysitting duty? I ripped her arms away from me and decided it was better if I carried her on my back instead. Unfortunately, fiends started to attack as we kept on through our journey and I had to drop her in order to fight. I shot any fiend that kept getting in our way and after countless bullets going into fiends; I was beginning to get tired. It was coupled with the fact that every time our battle would end, Rikku would climb on my back. I couldn't say no to here either as she kept sobbing when the thunder would howl and the lightning would spark.

Midway through our journey, Rikku spotted an inn. She begged and pleaded until everyone had accepted that we stay for the night. I was actually kind of glad to be getting some rest. I was super tired after fighting, dealing with Seymour, carrying Rikku, and seeing my mother in the Farplane. I felt like the moment I hit the bed, I would conk out yet again. Unfortunately, my roommate was Rikku since she had felt like I was her new protector through the thunderous night. Sleeping wasn't an option until she fell asleep first and I had to force myself to not roll my eyes and be mean. I had to admit, her shifting around to get closer and snuggle was absolutely adorable. If I pulled back for a few moments she would always find a new way to get me to cuddle with her.

"Rikku…" She shifted with her eyes closed. I knew she wasn't asleep. "Rikku…" Where our room was we didn't hear the thunder howling extremely loud, but it was still enough to make the girl shiver with fright. I had to wrap my arms around her and pull her close to me while sighing to myself. It was going to be a long night.

"I'm sorry…" I blinked and pulled back just enough so I could look down at her. She moved to hide her face even more from me so I had to hold her chin. I tilted it upward until our eyes met and gave her a curious look. What was she apologizing for? "I'm sorry…I made you stay here with me and now…now you can't sleep. I'm so…so sorry." Her bottom lip trembled. _Please, Yevon let her not cry._

Whispering softly to her was the only way to solve this. "Rikku, it's okay. You're just scared. You'll be fine. I'll be here to protect you and I'll fall asleep and wake up beside you. Okay? Now calm down. We both need some rest for tomorrow. We can play some pranks on the others, how does that sound?" This gave her some consolation and she smiled up at me. I pulled her closer. Her head was on my chest and her arms were wrapped around my neck. Was this what it was supposed to be like when you held a lover in your arms? It was weirdly…comforting. That was the last thing on my mind before I fell asleep.

Morning came all too quick. Rikku and I were in the same position as when we fell asleep and that was odd to say the least. I usually move around and flail my arms in my sleep, but when I fell asleep with her I ended up staying in place. Huh. Not too bad. I poked her nose, trying to wake her up. She only shifted more into my bosom and I couldn't help but start laughing. Guess she was going to wake up in my breasts if she kept that up. I tried to push her off to no avail. I went back to poking and prodding her nose.

"Rikku." A few more pokes and she still shifted. "Rikku." I decided to trail my hand to her side and poke there. She started squirming. Finally, we were getting somewhere. "Rikku!" This time I full-fledged tickled her. Rikku's eyes opened, nearly bulging out of their sockets as she writhed on the bed as I continued tickling her. She started laughing and for some reason, I didn't stop. I couldn't help it, the scene before me was utterly hilarious. She kept trying to get away while laughing and ended up looking like a fish that was caught on land.

However, as I kept tickling my lovely roommate, I didn't know that the door started to open. I kept at it and she was still giggling uncontrollably. "Looks like the two of you are having fun." I froze as did Rikku. My gaze moved agonizingly slow at the person who was standing at the door. Lulu was giving me an amused look with one hand on the door handle and one on her hip. She looked like a mother who was catching one of her children having "playtime" with a lover. As if Rikku was burning me, I jumped away from her. I ended up tumbling over one side of the bed and was sprawled onto the floor. Rikku was catching her breath and holding the blanket up to her chest. It's not like she was naked or anything, she was just in her underwear. Nothing to be ashamed of, especially since it was Lulu who came to get us.

"If the two of you are done fooling around, we would like to continue Yuna's pilgrimage. It would be wise if you both get dressed now." She was about to walk out of the room, but then she turned back around to look straight at me. "Oh and Kimi-"

I gulped and sat up, immediately expecting the worst or some kind of lecture. "Yes?"

"Look after Tidus. He had troubled Yuna earlier. I'm sure he's looking for-"

"KIMI!" Lulu shook her head and left the room, leaving Rikku and I to fix the bed, as well as get dressed. By the time Tidus barged into the room, Rikku was still in the shower and I still had finished getting dressed. "Kimi! There you are, I've been looking-"

I jammed my hand onto his mouth. "I hear you managed to mess with Yuna. What did you do this time?"

He took my hand away from his mouth. "It was an accident, I swear it!" I shot him a look. "Honest. I sorta was listening through the door-"

"YOU WERE LISTENING THROUGH HER DOOR? YOU PEEPING TOM!" I started whaling on him, and that was how Rikku found us. I was straddling Tidus; one hand closed into a fist ready to punch him again, and the other was clutching at the collar of his vest. We heard a rather loud cough and I turned to glare at whoever dared to interrupt my violence. I immediately started blushing as I found out it was Rikku…in only a towel.

"Whoa! Sorry, didn't know you two were-" I punched Tidus in the jaw before he could even finish that sentence. I dragged him out of the room muttering apologies and asking Rikku if she would hurry and dress so that we could leave. Tidus and I gathered with the others in the entrance of the inn and I shot him a look. "What?"

"You shall not say anything about what happened." I could feel myself still all hot, and I was pretty sure that the blush was still there. He only gave me an amused look. "Nothing. Got it? Or a bullet from one of my pistols is going to become a friend with one of your body parts." He gulped and said nothing else. Rikku finally emerged from the rooms and we had to be well on our way. Her fear didn't lessen as much as I would have liked, but she didn't cling nearly as much.

Halfway we stopped yet again. This time Yuna had felt that she needed to state her intention to marry Seymour. Tidus and I were not particularly thrilled about the prospect. We argued and argued but our point didn't seem to be getting across. My father stayed behind with Tidus as the rest of us walked off. They had spoken about something, but Tidus was back by my side and blushing just as fiercely as my own face had been. I smirked at him. "Things went well with my old man over there?" He blinked at me, amazed that I had spoken to him in such a slick tone.

"W-what do you mean?"

"You've gotten a lot closer to him. Mind telling me what's on that brain of yours every time you get near my dad?" I knew that Tidus liked guys, but nothing prepared me for the answer he gave me.

"I kinda have a crush on him, I think." I stopped walking and just stared at him. He stopped with me, looking at me in the weirdest way. "Kimi? Are you-"

"YOU WHAT?" He started to run away from me. I chased him all the way to Macalania Woods and tackled the shit out of him as soon as we made it to a path. When I tackled him, however, I didn't plan on us rolling and hitting a fucking tree. Needless to say, my back hurt like hell and he was uncomfortably laid out on my breasts. He even put his hands on them to give him some leverage to push himself up. I kicked him in his crotch to see how he would like that kind of pain. Although, looking back on that, probably not the least bit fair since he was near tears after I did that.

Lulu and Wakka split the two of us up and I couldn't get to talk to him. I wanted to apologize for kicking him in the nuts, but I wasn't allowed to go near him until we got up the path and near the temple. I didn't mean to go all evil crazy girl on him. I even wanted to talk about his crush on my dad with him. A little weird, yes. Possibly uncomfortable? If he became my step dad, yeah, but he was still like a brother to me. I know I had definitely hurt him, all physical pain aside.

He was wandering with Yuna and Rikku up the path, followed by Kimahri, Lulu, and Wakka, while I was stuck in the back pouting with my dad. This was just great. I couldn't say I was sorry and the whole reason I was sorry in the first place was because I overreacted to my best friend's crush on my dad. I kicked at every stone on the path. This really sucked. Every time I caught Tidus' eye he would turn around quickly, a small sad smile on his face. I hated feeling so guilty; there was a horrible twisting feeling in my stomach that was almost sickening. I was being tortured, having to see Tidus be unhappy because of me.

"You managed to hurt him." Dad wasn't helping either. I glared at him. "Fierce look for someone so young." I walked a bit faster and he took long strides to keep up with me. I really didn't need to be plunged into the depths of hell by his lectures. "You can apologize later, stop sulking so much."

"You just said I hurt him. He's also sulking. Do you plan on going up farther and telling him not to sulk as well? No? Then leave me be." I crossed my arms, digging my nails into the skin. Maybe I shouldn't have been so mean to him either, but I was pissed off. This morning had gone from embarrassing to downright annoying.

We stopped at a fork in the road at my father's request. He said he had something to show Tidus and our gazes locked. I gave Tidus a small smile, trying to convey my apology and nodded to him. My old man cut down row after row of trees, opening up another path and walked in. The rest of us followed and we watched the sphere that Jecht had left for Tidus. I moved right next to him, touching his arm in comfort and he leaned his head on my shoulder. Jecht tried to convey that he missed his son and that he hoped that all would be well for him on his journey. I could see his fists balling and grabbed his hand to make him stop. "He loves you," I whispered to him.

We left the area and found ourselves at Lake Macalania. We ended up meeting Tromell at the inn that was stationed there. He said Seymour had requested for Yuna to meet him at the temple, ahead of the rest of us. I crossed my arms and moved in front of Yuna. He had a few things to explain. "How did you get here before us?"

He walked up to me. His own arms were crossed and he tried to give me a look of inferiority. I would not bow down before this Guado and I glared before asking him yet again. "The same manner in which I will be bringing Lady Yuna to the temple." He pointed at an array of vehicles. I could hear Rikku gasp and I raised my brow at her. She motioned that she would explain to me later.

Yuna had touched my back gently, which sent shivers down my body. She moved to my side and looked up at me, smiling a little. She leaned towards me, whispering in my ear, "I must go to meet with him, Kimi. Please, let me do this?" I pulled back, a blush was creeping on my face and I knew that I couldn't stop it. I walked away from her, waving my hand dismissively.

"Do what you want, Yuna." I started walking towards the inn and I was pretty sure she was going with Tromell to the temple. A scream stopped me before I could even open the door to go in and I immediately ran to the scene. Yuna and Tromell were stopped by a huge canon being controlled by an Al Bhed. He spoke directly to Rikku and she responded back. I ran to her side. "Who is that?"

"My brother. He wants to stop Yuna's pilgrimage. And he'll do it in any way he can." I grit my teeth. It looked like we had another heavy battle to fight. We got ready, and sent Yuna off with Tromell before Rikku's brother could catch them. I just hoped they made it to the temple in time.


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Spiral of Love

Pairings: Kimiko/Rikku (main/eventual), Auron/Tidus, Yuna/Tidus (smidgen), Wakka/Lulu, Kimiko/Yuna (smidgen)

Summary: Kimiko is the daughter or Sir Auron and a guardian of Lady Yuna…love is not that hard to come by in a group of eccentric people, but is the one she loves going to respond to her advances?

Warnings: Violence again! Seymour being a dick! Mention of death! Angst! And wait is that some more fluff I see? Oh yes, yes it is.

Disclaimer: If I owned them do you really think I would be writing about them?

Notes: Taking this fic to a whole new level and changing around some things. I really hope you like the update, sorry for the long wait. Also. So sorry for the mass amount of dialogue that is this chapter.

Thanks to: My original beta reader: Exxal!

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><p>Chapter Five<p>

My hands itched as I reached into my holsters and brought out my pistols. I cocked off the safety and aimed the machination that was right before us all. Without looking at Rikku I said, "Your brother? Let me guess, this has even more to do with the summoners that were disappearing before, am I right? Damn it this is not painting a pretty picture of you Al Bheds!"

Rikku's face easily showed the pain of my words, but I wasn't about to bite them back. She didn't have time to respond to me, to even ask how I could have figured it out, when the machine launched into an attack. A small attachment came out of one of its openings, and the second Lulu tried to cast _Thundara_ on it, her magic was negated. Wakka and I looked at one another before nodding. I aimed my gun at the little bastard and took a shot just as he threw the blitzball. Both of our attacks made contact and we cheered.

"Lulu! Time to shine!"

Before Lulu could make a move however, Tidus and my dad took over and slashed away. They only broke through the surface and I swore I heard my father grunted a curse or two. Lulu chuckled and cast her spell, making the machine move a little slower and it's attacks lessened. Rikku took this moment to pilfer something or other from the machine or whomever might have been inside of it. Returning with some gil and a few potions, I gave her a high-five.

Was that a red tint I saw in her cheeks or was it just the cold win of Macalania coloring them?

I didn't dwell on that because the little attachment came right out of the machine yet again, and so Wakka and I had to hit it at the exact same time. Taking it down, Lulu cast another spell halting the damned machine and this time Kimahri, Tidus, and my dad struck it hard. It sputtered and broke apart, revealing an Al Bhed who glared at Rikku and said something in their language. Whatever he said, deeply hurt her and she clutched at her chest.

"Rikku?" I moved over to her, touching her arm after I put my pistols back. She shook her head as her brother yelled at her again. There were some words exchanged between them, and I felt like we would encounter him again. I made a mental note that if I ever did see Rikku's brother again, that I would deck him one for making Rikku highly uncomfortable. "It'll be alright, I'm sure of it."

She smiled softly before watching him take off. "I told him I was a guardian. I guess I had to really." The face she made plainly explained that there would be a big blow out once she got back to her family. Were they judgmental of other Spirans who took the path of Yevon? Somehow that thought didn't seem to sit well with me because here was Rikku, someone who was knowingly helping a summoner for her own reasons. At that second I realized, she might even be betraying her own race by joining us.

"Rikku…" I muttered her name, but Wakka cut in before I could say anything that might be comforting.

"How come you speak Al Bhed?" His tone was accusatory, and I could already tell a lecture was well underway. Wakka was about to say something really stupid, and without thinking I stood right in between the two of them.

"Because I'm Al Bhed…" Her words trailed off and she grabbed onto my arm. My hand covered hers the second Wakka started speaking yet again. As always, I could tell when his words would be less than pleasant. I grit my teeth as I had to listen to him, wanting to speak my mind but one look from my father made me shut my mouth.

"You all knew…I've been travelling with an Al Bhed! A heathen!"

"That's not true! We've got nothing against Yevon!" Rikku moved away from me, looking directly at Wakka and standing her ground. The two of them immersed themselves in a religious debate and I could only roll my eyes. Listening to the two of them bicker became so tedious that the second my old man thought of a distraction—the motorcycles that belonged to the Guado—I was incredibly relieved.

"Will these work?" She nodded; leaving Wakka in the middle of one of his tirades and making me chuckle. She tinkered with each of the motorcycles that were available and my father explained that we will be taking each of these to the temple in Macalania. If anyone wanted to reach the temple and make sure that Yuna was safe, we would have to ride and there were no exceptions. Wakka sighed heavily, but didn't dare say a word against Sir Auron.

"Alright. So who's riding with who?" I looked at Tidus, pouting at my brother-not-by-blood, hoping that the two of us could have a little heart-to-heart on the ride along the way. I saw that he wanted to take a ride with my dad or his knight in shining armor, but I really wanted to just have the comfort of someone who wasn't going to cling to me. He sat on one of the motorcycles, hopping onto it and patting the seat for me. Grinning as I slid onto the seat and wrapping my arms around his waist, I couldn't help but ask, "Do you even know how to turn the ignition on?"

"Not a clue!" The two of us laughed until Rikku came over and gave us instructions. It was she who had the ride with my dad, while Lulu and Wakka paired off together, and Kimahri was by his lonesome. The Ronso wasted no time in jetting out to the temple and leaving the rest of us behind. Lulu and Wakka set off after him, followed by my dad and Rikku.

"Whoa there! Make sure you got the controls set before you take off!" Tidus turned the damned motorcycle on, but the second he lurched forward, I had to clutch onto him even more. The two of us felt it more than we should have, but there was nothing we could do about it. Soon enough, he got it into gear and we were able to ride smoothly. It felt nice to ride together and not have to hear everyone else's conversations. No doubt, Wakka was ranting to Lulu about the whole lecture he never got to finish, while Rikku was probably explaining something about Al Bhed customs to my dad. Kimahri was so lucky that he didn't even have to ride with anyone else.

"So what do you think of her?" I almost didn't hear Tidus' question over the roar of the engine and the piles of snow lifting at the sides of us as we rode on.

"Who? Rikku?" He nodded. "Mm. She's cool, I guess. You seemed to know her before; did you meet her before you met up with us in Besaid?"

"Yeah, she saved me when I first got to Spira. That's why I'm kind of okay with the Al Bhed. They weren't mean or anything—after she punched my lights out. Kind of reminded me of you."

I laughed a little. "Punched your lights out? Ooh, I'm so honored that a girl punching you reminds you of me. Thanks, I guess." To reiterate my point, I punched his shoulder lightly and the two of us started laughing together now.

"Yep, definitely reminds me of you. Just like when we were kids back home." The laughter died down, but I could tell that we were both smiling. This was exactly what I needed, a little touch of home and nothing to remind me of what was going on around us. The world wasn't falling apart right this second, and it wasn't going to end soon. I was absolutely content, and I was pretty sure Tidus was as well. Scooting closer to him, I pressed my head on his back. The engine continued to roar as we rode on and before I knew it, we were right at the temple entrance and we had to get out.

"I really wish that was a longer trip. I could have dealt with that for a few more hours." He nodded as I talked. Turning the motorcycle off, the two of us got off and walked to the temple entrance.

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><p>x.x.x.<p>

"Can't you just let me in?!" I could hear Rikku yelling before I even saw her. She was hidden amongst the rest of the guardians, and there was a clergyman at the temple doors. Tidus and I walked right into the eye of the storm and before we could even ask what was going on, the priest was shaking his head as his arms crossed.

"An Al Bhed into the temple grounds? That is preposterous! It is absolutely unheard of and I will not be the first to allow her access."

I didn't have a moment to speak up before my father walked in front of us all. "She is a guardian. That is all that matters. If you do not let us pass, we will make sure that we do." The priest blinked a few times as he looked at my dad and stepped to the side. He muttered something about the absurdity of an Al Bhed being a guardian but the rest of paid no heed to his ramblings. "They're all still the same." I looked curiously at my dad as he said this and turned my attentions back to all of the priests who seemed to stare at all of us with judgment in their eyes. It was a little unnerving, but I've had a few years of not giving a damn about Yevon or anyone who associates with the religion.

We met Tromell within the temple the second we walked in. He explained that Yuna was with Maester Seymour in the Cloister and that did not sit well with me and Tidus. The two of us looked at each other, things were happening way too fast and neither of us liked Seymour at all. We needed to get to Yuna—we had to get to Yuna. I pushed Tromell out of the way and started to make my way up the temple steps, but before I could get halfway up a shriek from down below brought me to reality.

The nun rambled about whatever was in Yuna's luggage. My father looked at me and shooed me onward. Tidus and Rikku brought up the rear while the others went to follow him and see what was up with Yuna's stuff. Tidus and I had already had enough experience with the previous Cloisters to make us nearly experts. Placing the spheres in the correct places, as well as finding treasure thanks to the greedy little eye of our Al Bhed, we finally made it to where the Chamber of the Fayth was.

"Seymour!" Tidus' shout rang around the Chamber as the half Guado's back was turned to us. I could already imagine him smiling smugly even before turned his attention to us.

"Do be quiet, Lady Yuna prays to the Fayth."

"You can kiss my ass! Like hell I'm going to be quiet, you creepy fuck!" I made a move to charge at him instinctively, the urge to protect Yuna from this guy was so strong. I barely understood my reasoning for why I disliked him so much. Rikku and Tidus took each of my arms before I got close to him.

"Kimi, hold on."

"We don't know the whole story!"

The door to the Chamber opened and out poured in the rest of the guardians. They crowded around the three of us, shielding us from whatever Seymour could and would do to us. "He's the cause of Maester Jyscal's death." I turned to look at Lulu, the tug on my arms going slack. There were words that I wanted to say, but nothing would come out. I shook my head, the horror of someone killing their own father and showing no remorse for the sin they committed. I turned my gaze to the Maester and all I could see was the glee for what he'd done. There was no revulsion or anything that could make me sympathize for what he'd done.

"You monster!" I was about to launch myself at him, but the next set of doors to the inner sanctum opened and Yuna wearily walked out. I breathed her name before it left my lips, and Seymour continued to look at me.

Her words weren't directed at me, but to him. The vile creature in the shell of a half human, half Guado; who could have ever thought he would so such a thing? "Why?!" Seymour gave her no excuse, no answer, not even an inkling into his mind to make us understand. He merely chuckled and readied into a battle stance. Yuna didn't know what to do; she was trapped between him and the door to the inner sanctum.

"Stay in there! Go back inside. We'll come for you, alright?" I ordered her before Seymour could think of an attack and either issue it at me or at her.

She shook her head and bolted. Easily bypassing Seymour, she ran straight into me and knocked the wind out of me. I don't believe she meant to tackle me, but she did it just the same. The two of us landed right on the floor, my arms instinctively wrapped around her waist and it took me a minute to remember to breathe. I didn't know if this was real or not; Yuna was in my arms and lying right on top of me. I knew I was going to have to hear about this later from Tidus or Lulu but I couldn't stop the smile from lighting my features. And just as quick as she was on top of me, she was off of me and standing. Her hand was outstretched and there was this look on her face—she made a choice and she was going to stick with it. I was being pulled along for the ride and damn well better take her hand.

I sighed and reached out, my hand connecting with hers and I sat up before standing. "Good tackle." Was all I could say before Seymour's mad cackle of laughter finally filled my ears. Glaring at him, I took out my pistols and cocked off the safety. My mind was reeling by now with all of the information we'd all been given. Everyone else had taken out there weapons and got into battle stances. Seymour would not make it out of this battle unscathed.

Yuna moved to the back of the troupe, casting white magic on each and every one of us. Lulu was beside her, casting black magic against the Guado soldiers that were helping Seymour. Kimahri and Wakka also turned their attacks toward the Guado soldiers and made sure that they would be able to interfere with the rest of us who were focusing on Seymour. Fighting a Maester was not on our list of things to do for this pilgrimage, and yet somehow we found ourselves face-to-face with him.

I was starting to feel sick the second my bullets collided with the protective shields that were on Seymour. Hoping for any of them to make contact with his body was unnerving me, and my father could tell. "Think later!" I could hear his gruff voice as he began his own attacks, gulping a huge portion of the bottle strapped to his hip; he spit it out and muttered some words. Suddenly, his sword was engulfed with darkness and he struck his sword down to the ground. The darkness emanating from the weapon launched off of it like a rocket and hit right to Seymour's barriers.

It made contact and the barriers shattered. I could see the energy rise off of him and his face was priceless. Everyone moved out of the way as Tidus' sword struck him followed by my bullets. The soldiers suddenly became pyreflies and I could hear Seymour scream. He clutched where the weapons got him, and he glared at all of us. "Disgusting…Come, Anima!" His hand raised and there was a crackle from the top of the Chamber and a wave of crimson seeped from the floor. We all moved back to the entrance and away from where the tint of scarlet was.

A chain came out from nowhere and plunged right into the crimson pool, seemingly tugging something upward. My stomach plummeted along with my heart once I saw that it was the same Aeon he had summoned at Luca. I screamed at Yuna, "Use your new summon!"

She nodded and clutched her staff. There were no words she said to call the Aeons forth, it was like they were drawn to her power. Light enveloped the area and icicles came down along with it. A woman emerged from the icicles and shattered them. She stood before Yuna with her hands on her hips. She was a pale blue, much different from the Ronso color and my breath caught in my throat as I looked at her. I could only imagine what kind of Fayth merged with Yuna to create this wonderful Aeon.

Soon enough, the Aeons were battling with their magic and attacks. The rest of us were watching on the sidelines and trying to get out of their way. Ice rained down on us as well as the various bursts that erupted from Anima's eye. It looked so painful and sad, and it hurt my soul as well to watch it fight. Did this monster really come from a Fayth? And what kind of person could possibly merge with Seymour to create such an Aeon? The thoughts were running through my mind as I felt a hand link with mine and another hold onto my arm. I looked down and saw Rikku staring at the battle, unconscious of what she was doing. I couldn't help but smile at her and make no move to get her away from me. Tidus was also close to my side, his eyes weren't straying whatsoever from the fight and before I knew it he was cheering.

What could be cheering for?

When I turned my attention to the spectacle of the battle, Yuna's Aeon, Shiva had severely wounded Anima. Seymour's Aeon was dismissed quickly and she returned the favor. Once again, the rest of us crowded around her and that was when I noticed the pool of blood that was centered on Seymour. I breathed heavily, raising one of my pistols and pulled the trigger. The sound of the blast of the gun didn't scare me as much as the bullet hit Seymour right in the heart and I could hear it pierce him. Another spot of blood erupted from his chest and he fell backwards with a smile.

My hand was still raised with the gun in my hand and I gasped. Killing a Maester is a step too far, even for someone like me. My knees gave out and the pistol trembled within my hand. I could feel arms wrap around my shoulders and I wasn't crying but I was shaking like a leaf. There were people calling my name and others that rushed past me to Seymour's now dead body. Suddenly, the arms wrapping around me became hands grabbing at me, tugging me up, and out of the Chamber. Everything was whizzing past me and all I could think was, "I'm a murderer." I tried to scream at myself, curse at myself, hell I had even tried to talk to myself but there were no words leaving my mouth. My mind was off, my body was shaking, and my soul was tainted. I pulled the trigger that killed Maester Seymour and now I was forever branded along with my comrades.

I don't know how or when we made it to out of the Chamber and through the Cloister again. I don't know how we made it out of the Cloister and out of the temple. I don't know how we made it out of the temple and out to the freezing air that is Macalania and its entryway to the temple. I don't know how many of the Guado soldiers were tracking us and trying to kill us for what we—no, what I did to Maester Seymour. What I do know is that a soldier was about to attack us and suddenly the entire icy ramp that is the entryway to Macalania temple, trembled and my brain caught up to what was happening.

A massive beast of a fiend was pelting the floor, the icy ramp way and causing hell. The world felt like it was shaking and there were cracks in the ice. I don't know whose hands I was in still, and everything was still confusing me through the haze of despair and shock that it didn't even matter. The tremors were becoming too much and I felt the ice give out under me.

I closed my eyes as I could hear the cracks suddenly pop under the pressure and we all fell down.

* * *

><p>x.x.x.<p>

I don't know how long I was unconscious for, but I did register the Hymn of the Fayth filling my ears and something brick hard poking my back. My eyes opened slowly, and I had to blink to make sense of what I was seeing. Up above me, the temple of Macalania was still floating except the ramp were now chunks of debris and some were still cascading down to the depths. I breathed in the scent of fresh water, and that was when I noticed that my feet were soaked right through my shoes. My hands were pressing backward and I could feel the brick underneath me. I pushed myself up and sat, looking around at all the water in my line of vision as well as a mass amount of debris that weren't just from the temple. Pyreflies were scattered in the air, and there was a feeling of peace filling my person until everything registered in my mind. And by everything, I meant Maester Seymour's murder. My stomach lurched at the thought and I rubbed it, hoping that it would calm itself.

"Hey…you feeling alright?" I looked up and saw Tidus. My arms wrapped around myself and I shook my head.

"Kind of hard to be okay when you kill someone. I feel like my breakfast is about to come back up. At least I got a good nap out of this." He didn't see the humor in that statement; instead he moved closer and sat next to me. His hand was pressed on my shoulder before he ruffled my hair and I made no sudden moves to make him stop that. "I suppose everyone else has their own guilt about this too." I swallowed before I continued, feeling a little parched more than ever. "But I was the last straw, my bullet hit him and I saw it. I watched him die, we all did…but I was still the last shot in. Literally." I sighed, completely exasperated and disgusted with myself for what had happened.

"I understand that, but it was something we had to do. Okay, so you didn't mean to kill him—"

"But I did, Tidus. I did kill him and that's what matters. I'm a murderer. How can you even associate with me? How can anyone associate with me? I took someone's life and that's just—"

"He was already spiraling down a path towards his end. Such is his story, Kimiko." Tidus and I looked before us and found my father with his normal pose of one of his arms hidden beneath his red cloak and the other hanging limply at his side. His say in the matters didn't really help me, nor did they make me feel better in the slightest. Any consolations he tried to give me weren't working, especially if Tidus' weren't.

I shook my head and covered my eyes with my hands. I wanted to just will everything away and restart the whole pilgrimage. I was hoping that I would still be in Besaid, that it was the wee hours of the morning before Yuna and I set out on our journey for her pilgrimage. The hushed secrets of us both carrying our first Aeon, my complicated feelings towards her when she smiled at me, and no history of death and the swirls of pyreflies filling the air. I sucked in a breath and took my hands away from my face. My father was no longer in front of us, but Tidus was still sitting beside me and looking in the same direction where the old man was.

"Go talk to him." I motioned for Tidus to get a move on and talk to the man. The flush in his cheeks were there but he made no movements.

"Now's not the time."

"I'm having a breakdown, I want you to. I realize I'm not alone, but that doesn't mean I'm going to be okay. I'm just gonna need some time. Promise I'm not going anywhere though." I nudged him so he could leave me this time. "You look like you have some things to say to him. Go on. Talk to him. Convince him that I need some time as well, okay?" I nudged him again, finally he got up and started to walk away, but not without a glance back at me and I had to smile sadly.

The second he was by my father, the tears started raining down my face and I silently wept.

"So this is where you've been hiding all this time." I jumped at the voice, my head almost snapping as I saw Lulu approaching me. Wiping the tears, I tried to sit up straight but the world was still falling down around me.

"Hey, Lulu. Come to see a girl undone, huh?" She sat by me now, waiting until I spoke again. "There should be a limit of crazy shit you can get into in a few weeks. I think this whole pilgrimage should just…have its own special limit. It's too much and too soon, Lu."

"You and Yuna knew exactly what you were getting into. It just seems like things are a little harder this time around than it has been for anyone else. This is not my first pilgrimage, but it is definitely one of the most adventurous ones if I say so myself. It's been…thrilling to say the least. There is no reason to blame yourself for things that have happened, Kimiko. Things are bound to happen, that is the river of fate that we are sailing in. We are dragged by the current."

I tugged at my hair, pulling some of the strands out and she slapped my hand away. "It's still difficult knowing that it's still my fault. Please, let me take my piece of the blame? Don't go all mother-hen on me Lulu. Can we just, I don't know, change the subject? All of this talk is making my head hurt and my stomach twist into knots."

She raised an eyebrow, and stayed silent for what felt like an eternity. Finally, she said, "Alright. A change of topic. What is going on between you and the two other ladies of our group? I see your interest in Yuna and then suddenly you are cuddling happily to Rikku after knowing her for a short while. It's only been a few days. Mind explaining?"

I bit my lip, already fearing this subject and all of the trouble it could get me into. "Is Yuna or Rikku awake? Are they near? I know if Wakka's near too he'll flip his shit. Finding out about me liking…well my preference."

"None of them are around. Rikku is actually bothering Kimahri while Yuna still dreams. Wakka is in his own little world on the other side of those two. As for Sir Auron and Tidus, they're still chatting over there. I know you didn't ask about them, but I had to tell you." She pointed to where I had directed the blonde to earlier and I smiled a little.

"I don't know what's going on. I'll admit that I do like Yuna…but Rikku's just even more comfortable." Shrugging at her look of disbelief, I carried on. "I'm not going to make any moves or anything. We have a pilgrimage to complete and my heart is dead set on finding a way for this pilgrimage to be a success…along without the actual end of it. You know how much I don't want that end for her—for anyone. They're both cute girls. Yuna will never figure out how much I like and Rikku…she's herself and I highly doubt she has anything like that on her mind, you know?"

Lulu only nodded, but I could tell there was still something working in her mind. The only question was what could possibly be working in that head of hers. She stood and I followed suit. The brick was starting to hurt my ass and I really needed to get up. I patted my bottom and walked alongside her toward the others, feeling slightly better that my mind had been eased of slightly from the dark topic of Seymour's murder. I looked toward Rikku and Kimahri, making a beeline for them as Yuna was still sprawled out on a plate of brick just like I was.

"Guess she still hasn't woken up yet, huh."

Kimahri shook his head while Rikku attached herself to my arm. "Nope, but I'm hoping Yunie wakes up soon. Are you okay? Apparently you and her took the nastiest falls and the rest of us woke up quickly. Your head doesn't hurt or anything like that, right?" Without me answering, she pressed a hand to my head, checking for any bumps or bruises that I could have. I swore I could see Kimahri smiling at the attentions she was placing on me.

At that moment, Yuna finally stirred and we all moved to her. She assured that she was absolutely fine and took part in some of the jokes that Tidus, Rikku, and I were sharing every so often. At one point, she looked up at the temple and muttered something about Yevon. I could tell her faith was shaken now at what we had just done and there was a pang in my heart.

"At least we can hear the Hymn. It's beautiful…it's always been beautiful."

She smiled at my words, until the song stopped completely. Each of our heads were upturned toward the temple, and what we found cruising near it almost made my heart shutdown forever. I gulped as I saw the familiar patch of brown and a elongated fin push through the water above us.

"Sin! The toxin!" Lulu's words were the last thing I heard before the ground shook once again, and a brilliant roar filled my hearing. The world flashed and became a striking white, and the second it passed it was dark again.

The next time I awoke, there was sand in my mouth as well as sticking to my body. The air smelled hot and a little musty. When I opened my eyes, I had to make sure that I removed all of the crust that was in it so I wouldn't go blind. Once I saw all of the gleaming sea of golden sand, I could only scream my lungs out.

"_**Where the hell am I?!"**_


	6. Chapter 6

Title: Spiral of Love

Pairings: Kimiko/Rikku (main/eventual), Auron/Tidus, Yuna/Tidus (smidgen), Wakka/Lulu, Kimiko/Yuna (smidgen)

Summary: Kimiko is the daughter or Sir Auron and a guardian of Lady Yuna…love is not that hard to come by in a group of eccentric people, but is the one she loves going to respond to her advances?

Warnings: Angst is still heavy, even more violence brought to the fold, a little fluff and some more familial relationships to spur you guys on to reading.

Disclaimer: If I owned them do you really think I would be writing about them?

Notes: Alright ladies and gents, I'm continuing this through to the end and I hope you're all still along for the ride. Really guys, thank you so much.

Thanks to: My original beta reader: Exxal!

* * *

><p>Chapter Six<p>

In all honesty, I am quite fine with sand. I've lived in Besaid for a mass amount of years, and even within Zanarkand there were beautiful beaches that would take your breath away. Sticking my feet into the grains, and squishing it in between my toes as if I were destroying a colony of ants—that was a lot of fun let me tell you. However, this was something entirely different. I didn't know where the sand began or where it could end. The sheer amount of golden yellow assaulted my vision, and for a moment there it would just waver in the sunlight and I knew I had to get out of here.

I coughed and spit some of the sand that was in my mouth so it would finally get out. Pressing my hand into it, I pushed myself off of the ground and stood—not that it helped me any because I was still surrounded by the substance. "Well, isn't this just great? Stuck in some kind of desert and no one else is around me…" My sarcasm went on deaf ears as none of my comrades—not even my old man or Tidus—were beside me in this hour of desperation. I'd since given up trying to figure out how long I had been lying out there near a sand dune and tried to focus my attentions on finding any other life around here.

The silent hum in the desert air was driving me mad after what felt like eternity. Wandering was becoming fruitless, unless you count all of the fiends that swooshed in to attack me. Luckily, I had a few rounds of ammos left before the scenario of defending myself forever went kaput. I didn't even want to use the damned things anymore, after what I'd done to Maester Seymour still being fresh on my mind, but I knew if I didn't I would be dead meat and probably joining him within the Farplane. The vision of the two of our souls being compact together in such a place made me frown, and I hoped I wouldn't have to go there soon.

"Please let there be something or someone else out here!" I shouted to the open sea of yellow. No one heard me and so I trekked on before I couldn't any longer.

My knees gave out and so I kneeled down in the sand. I found myself right in front of some kind of debris, which I tried to read except it was in Al Bhed. Wishing that Rikku was here and guiding me, or at least reading what was on the makeshift sign of debris, I passed out yet again due to malnutrition I assumed or maybe it was because I was so thirsty and my mouth still felt like sandpaper ever since I woke up. It didn't even matter; I was so sure that I was going to die right there on the spot. Right in the middle of a great pile of sand; it would be my luck.

_Bang! Bang!_

_Not just once but it was twice. Each and every single banging sound mixed with a cry of agony and a flow of red. It assaulted my vision; the person wasn't there but the outline of a body as the bullets made contact was. I could see it and I could smell it, the scent of death was right there before me._

_Bang! Bang!_

_Was I smiling now? The gun cocked in my hand as crimson continued to pour out of the outline. It accumulated into a river, then a sea. The dark red was becoming black and now it was swallowing me whole. I was in the middle, but I was also pulling the trigger._

_Then why can I see two people: one who looks like me, and the outline of blue?_

_Bang! Bang!_

_More bullets making contact with flesh and cries of agony ringing in my ears; I tried to cover them so I wouldn't see or hear. My body stopped moving out of its own volition and now I can hear myself laughing with crazed eyes gleaming and Seymour screaming. _

_No! No! This isn't right! _

_Stop it! Just-!_

"Stop it!" I shrieked as my eyes opened wide and I sat up. My breath came out in pants and there was sweat dripping from my body. What the hell was that? Another nightmare? After what happened at Djose and now with the Macalania Incident—just what kind of mental hell was I being put under now?! Suddenly, I was shivering immensely and there was the slight sensation of a palm on my back. I whirled to look at whomever was touching me and was face-to-face with a blonde woman. Her eyes were hidden by the ridiculous goggles she was wearing, but instantly I knew she was an Al Bhed.

"What—" I couldn't even ask what was going on when her palm left my back and touched my forehead. She was checking of signs of fever even though she was speaking in her native language. Just as quick as she had done the check-up, she'd clicked her tongue and called out for someone else. Yet another woman entered into the small room which was filled with countless knickknacks and this bed pushed to the corner. I realized my clothes were at the edge of the bed in a neatly folded pile as I sat up in my underwear. The urge to wrap my arms around myself was there, but I fought it. These women had the same things that I had anyway; it made no sense to want to cover myself up now.

"You are at Home, miss. We Al Bhed have found you in the sand near death. You've been asleep for two whole days here. There was no one else with you. What are you doing in the Sanubia Desert?"

I blinked a few times at her words, wondering exactly how much trouble I had gotten myself into during my stay in the desert. "I'm…looking for my friends. It's a large group of us. We're travelling but we didn't mean to find ourselves here, honest!" Before either of the women could say anything, I continued. "I don't know if they're still out there and I sure as hell can't stay here. I've got to look for them. Normally, we're supposed to stay in one place and eventually someone will come and find us…but I went on to go and find them and now…now I don't know if they're out there or not."

The woman with the goggles looked to the other before patting my head and leaving the room. I figured she didn't know what else to do or say that would be of comfort and left me to this other woman. "If you're friends are looking for you, they will find you here. You can stay here and get better. We found you nearly dead on the field and that would not do well for you to try it again, especially if you don't have any provisions." I opened my mouth to say something but she only put her finger to my lips to shush me. "As I said you are at Home. We take care of people here as the Al Bhed live here. We do not turn anyone away. We will protect you."

She pushed my shoulders some so that I would go back to laying in the bed. Her face hovering over my own was tanned and quite youthful. She was probably only a year or so older than me and so it was like if an older sister was merely taking care of her sickly younger sibling. She pulled the covers over my body and made sure to press her hand on my forehead yet again. There were whispered words in Al Bhed said to me by the woman, and soon enough I knocked out again.

This time my dreams were a little more pleasant, even though the act of my shooting Seymour was still playing, and it was also combined with the litter of bodies paving the way from Djose all the way to Macalania; the only reason it was better this time around was because of the hand linked with my own and our fingers were intertwined. The warmth of the person's hand was just enough to help me get through the nightmare until a disturbing rumble within my dream made me wake.

I realized that the tremors weren't only within my dream; they were back to the harsh side of reality that I woke up to. The entire room was shaking now and pieces of the ceiling were tumbling down. I coughed a little, inhaling the musty of scent of fumes and now I could hear shouts from outside of my doorway. Just what the hell was going on now? I couldn't even get any sleep within a new area without something happening to fuck it all up. Sighing, I scooted out of the bed and dressed myself. It felt good to have the fabric touching my skin, and I was warm again.

Stepping out of the room, the tremors weren't stopping—not by a longshot. Al Bhed men and women were running through the corridors with huge guns in each of their hands. It looked more like bazookas than anything else, and every time I tried to get their attention, they merely waved me off and ran to whatever they need to do. I figured I wasn't going to get anywhere with them, and wandered into a few other rooms, to see if I can talk to someone else who didn't look like they were in the middle of a war.

So many of the doors within the corridor had been bashed in; there were claw marks as well that accompanied the dents and as I touched them I wondered what could have done such a thing. In the short time I had been here, I didn't hear the calls of any beasts at all. So…how? My time to contemplate that had run short just as I pushed open another one of the doors that luckily had not been damaged. The second I opened it, there was a body on the ground—half-chewed and bleeding still—while a beast roamed about until it's eyes set on me.

I shrieked and made a grab for my holsters, only to realize that my trusty pistols had been taken away from me. I was screwed beyond all belief now. My knees buckled and I would have fallen if my hand was not holding tight onto the doorknob. Moving backward quickly, I slammed the door just as the beast charged for me. I hadn't realized that I was still screaming until an Al Bhed came over to me and shook my shoulders. Abruptly my screaming came to an end and I slapped myself hard enough that I would-even if only temporarily-was able to have my wits again.

"Fiend! There's a fiend inside!" The Al Bhed understood what I meant as they brushed me aside and held up their gun. Pointing it towards the doorway, they kicked the door and out popped the beast! It snarled as it charged forward. I don't know how many bullets were wasted as we walked back and away from it while the Al Bhed continued to blast it. Soon enough however, it was dead and we were free to check the room.

Once we made it inside, the Al Bhed went down on their knees and spoke to the body on the floor. I realized that this person may have been their comrade, and without any prompting I began a sending for them. Pyreflies engulfed the room and the Al Bhed was sobbing uncontrollably; my heart was aching with each and every cry but I managed to finish the sending and pat the Al Bhed on the soldier.

"I'm sorry..." was all I could say. Then I turned to walk away and out of the room, to get away from the sadness and the gloom of what had just happened. However, the Al Bhed touched my arm and pointed to a chest at the other side of the room. Without any words, they left the room with their gun in tow and confusion in my mind. I watched them go and stood there for a while as the smell of the body wafted over me. I was going to be sick if I stood there any longer. Walking over to the chest, I popped it open and saw my pistols shining as if they were new! There was also a set of rounds for me to load into it and the second I was done, I got out of the room.

Stepping out into the corridor now, I could hear more shouts and a voice over the intercom system. This place was magnificent in its design as well as all of it's accoutrements. I couldn't stand around and admire it for too long though as more fiends poured out of nowhere and it was time to fight. Blasting them every which way seemed to make me feel better, as if I was killing away all my sadness and all of my doubts. It was a bittersweet feeling now; shooting my pistols and killing fiends when I realized that they were once people too.

Soon enough, I was covered in dust and the blood of fiends. As I stood my ground like a warrior woman, a yell pierced my ears and I looked in the direction it came from. I was startled to see who it was.

"Kimi!" Rikku ran down to me from the grand staircase and wrapped her arms around my neck. Instinctively, my arms wrapped around her waist and as we hugged, I could feel a slight wetness from her cheeks. Had she been crying? And was it recently?

"You're alright! Thank goodness!" Tidus was the next to hug me-and definitely much more tightly-after Rikku had her fill. My father, Wakka, Lulu, and Kimahri were with them as well. As I counted off everyone within the group, I realized that we were still missing one more.

"Where's Yuna?" A loud crash resounded in the corridor and I looked back to see another fiend rapidly approaching. "They just don't give up, do they?" I fired a few bullets before Wakka threw his blitzball and Lulu cast magic on the fiend. It was an instant kill before I looked back at the somber faces of my comrades.

It was Lulu who broke the news. "We haven't found her yet, but Rikku said that she should be in here at a place called The Summoner's Sanctum. The Guado are unleashing fiends on the Al Bhed; a war has waged between them and we are unsure why."

I looked over at Rikku whose gaze was turned away from me. I could tell there were more tears falling from her eyes now and I went back to holding her close. Although she was turned away from me, she touched my arm softly and kept on. This was her home; the Home of the Al Bhed who have given me refuge and cared for me even for a short amount of time. Rikku probably knew all of these people by name and to see her family and friends being slaughtered must have been a nightmare.

"We have to help out the Al Bhed then. We'll take out any of the Guado and the fiends until we get to The Summoner's Sanctum. I don't want to kill them...not after Maester Seymour, but what they are doing is unforgivable. This isn't right, not for anyone. We've got to go. We must do something." Everyone nodded, running before me and Rikku in a straight path, the only path that wasn't littered with carcasses of humans or fiends. I withdrew my arms from around Rikku before I turned her to face me. "We'll help your family, we'll help your Home, we'll get Yuna back, and we'll definitely make things right." She nodded and tried to smile trough her tears. I wiped them from her cheeks before patting her head and taking her hand. The two of us ran after our group to another chamber.

There were more fiends in the following areas just descending from who-knows-where. I was getting pretty sick and tired of having to kick, shoot, and punch either a Guado soldier or a damned fiend who was trying to blow me up or claw me to death. "This is so annoying!" I shouted as my boot made contact to one of the Guado's faces and Tidus slashed him down.

"I hear ya, but the closer we are to The Summoner's Sanctum, the closer we are to finishing Yuna's pilgrimage! Then Sin will be gone and everything will be fine! Maybe the Guado will finally get their act together and things will be peaceful. When this is all over, we can finally relax as maybe even take everyone to _our_ Zanarkand!" Tidus' good-natured laughter was not shared by the rest of us. We knew we had to continue Yuna's pilgrimage and save all of Spira, but right now our main focus was to save the Al Bhed and Yuna so that we could continue our duties. We were also enemies of the Guado now.

"You think that's just it?! That once you get Yunie back and defeat Sin that everything will be okay?! Do you even know what happens once she gets to Zanarkand and gets the Final Aeon?!" Rikku's breath caught and everyone was silent. Tidus looked bewildered, and I was torn on whom to go to and comfort. My guns were put back into their holsters as I looked to Lulu and Wakka, they'd gone through so much and understood the pain and anguish that Rikku was talking about.

"It'll all be fine once she gets it. She'll defeat Sin and then things will be okay—"

"Yunie will die! The Final Aeon is supposed to kill her right after she defeats Sin! It comes back over and over; it's a cycle and no one has broken it! Why do you think we Al Bhed try to stop the pilgrimages?" Rikku was near tears when Wakka spoke up.

"But kidnapping summoners won't help anything either. If we atone for our sins-"

"And we don't know when that will be, Wakka. We don't know how long it will take for Sin or Yevon or whoever to figure out that we have atoned for our sins. Will you look around you? The Guado are tearing this place apart and for what reason? There is no peace and there is no justice! We're all imperfect! What do you expect us to do? Be reverent to something that none of us can trust anymore?!" Wakka and I had a stare down after my choice of words. My father was walking past all of us and down to the next corridor wordlessly. I was panting now after my cries, and Rikku only patted my shoulder, more sadness in her eyes that I wished I didn't understand.

"She'll...she'll die?" The words were sinking into Tidus' mind now and I couldn't bear to look at him. I knew exactly what he was thinking: how could we let this happen? And if we all knew about it, why didn't we stop her?

"Tidus..." I called to him softly, hoping that my voice would break him out of his , everyone followed my father giving Tidus a lingering look. No one had beckoned him to follow; they figured he would on his own time. I even had to leave him after a certain time, too tired of everything now and just focusing my attention on finding Yuna. I pushed the next door on the bottom staircase, hearing Tidus' slow footsteps following along. "Yuna! Please be in here!"

Unfortunately, she wasn't. However, we found Issaru and Dona within the Sanctum. Countless Al Bhed men and women were lying on the ground along with carcasses of fiends. I think I was starting to get used to seeing dead bodies, as I could only approach the two summoners and looked down at the bodies. They must have been good people, and were working for the good of Spira. Sure, they went about it the wrong way, but as I told Wakka: nobody's perfect.

"Let us perform the sending. They died, trying to protect us."

Everyone else nodded. "Let me help as well, I may only have one Aeon-one that I barely use but I have also performed sending before." Both of the summoners were surprised, but they gave in quickly. It was better to have more people helping them than not.

Once again, pyreflies engulfed the somber room which glowed with fires here and there. It smelled of gunpowder, soot, and the corpses angled in disturbing ways all sound the room. I cried silently as the three of us danced and sang the Hymn for the departed. Rikku's sobs grew loud and I didn't know who was holding her. Then, another sob tore through the air as the sending was completed. Pacce was howling as his other brother Maroda was stroking his hair. The scene was so heartbreaking that I couldn't help but go over to the boy and try to offer something to make him smile.

"We have to hightail it outta here!" A gruff, masculine voice cut through the sadness and I heard Rikku sigh. Looking up from Pacce, I saw a bald Al Bhed man frowning at the corpses around the room. "We've gotta make sure all the survivors are safe and that includes all of you. Follow me if you wanna live!" He exited across the room just as quick as he entered and I blinked for a few moments. I was absolutely confused as to whether we follow the man or not. Sure enough, I saw Rikku beckoning everyone to the same door that he just went through and without any other prompting we found ourselves in an airship dock.

"Yevon help us…" I looked over at Wakka. He obviously wasn't happily amazed to see the airship dock, nor was he ecstatic to see the gigantic airship that was docked. However, I was incredibly shocked, but pleasantly so.

"This is amazing!"

The bald man was now climbing a large staircase that led inside of the air vehicle and he grinned down at the rest of us. "Damn right it is! Time to climb up and jet outta here. There's nothing else we can do for her now, but I've got a few plans." He peered down harder, singling out the bright blonde girl of our group. "Rikku! You're gonna take one of the hatches inside. Got it primed for you and everything!"

We had no time to ask her how the man knew her name as everyone scrambled to get inside the airship. Home was still shaking through the violent tremors and possible blasts as it kept taking hit after hit. I silently prayed that there were more survivors than there were casualties, but I had no possible way of knowing that. Soon I wandered up the staircase; just as the hatch was closing and we were close to take off. I swore we were already lifting off before I had even got inside. When I finally set my feet inside of the airship, I breathed a sigh of relief at not being left behind.

I could hear the man shouting commands from where I was and decided to follow the rest of my companions to the ship's center. Wakka was cursing his luck while the rest of us were wondering where our beloved summoner had gone off to. If she wasn't in The Summoner's Sanctum or anywhere within Home then where could she possibly be? I was about to ask the bald man before he started speaking to Rikku in Al Bhed, seemingly arguing over something or other as a war was raging right beneath the deck.

"Where's Yuna?!" I stared over at Tidus who was glaring at the man, who didn't pay him any mind. "I said where is she?! Answer me!" Now, he walked right up to him and grabbed him by the collar, easily lifting him a few inches from the ground. I ran over to Tidus, touching his shoulder so he could let him go. If this guy wanted to throw us out and leave us for dead, he could so without a moment's notice.

"Guado took her right from under our noses. I wasn't able to get to the Sanctum in time, but we have a pretty good lead on where they might be taking her. It's gonna take us a few days though, but we're setting up a course straight for Bevelle. None of us know how this damn rig flies, so if you're lookin' for a steady course—this beaut ain't it." Tidus let him down slowly before letting him go. Clearly he was still having trouble for all of the nice things he had said about journeying to Zanarkand together to Yuna, especially since he found out the truth about the pilgrimage. He didn't look at me as he left the room and out into the corridor to somewhere else. I figured he just needed some time alone. I glanced at my father who sighed and continued to stare out of the door he had exited from; he was probably wondering if he should follow or not.

"So we're supposed to trust you to get us safely to Yuna to pick her up and just get her to continue her pilgrimage?" I crossed my arms, staring at this man. "Who are you anyway? Why are you helping us?"

He stared right back at me for a whole of two minutes before laughing heartily while holding his stomach. He acted as if he'd just heard the funniest joke of his life. I gazed around to my friends who merely shook his head and I swore I heard Wakka mutter something under his breath about working with crazy Al Bheds. My words to him were cut off. "Name's Cid. I'm Rikku's pop actually, and Yuna's my little niece that we managed to track down finally after all these years. Haven't seen her until I found her back at Home and well…it wasn't the most gracious of meetings. She didn't believe me at first, and when I told her I was only bringing her in and trying to make her stop the pilgrimage…" He sighed and I figured that was when the Guado had chosen to act. It must have been hard on him to finally find his niece and then suddenly lose her. However, I wasn't so quick to believe his story until Rikku spoke up for him.

"Pop here is the leader of the Al Bhed. He's one of the few who tries to assemble us all together so we can be one big happy family…then things like this seem to happen." I moved over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder; she shook her head. "Yuna is my cousin, and I was hoping to convince her to stop the pilgrimage. We were told about several summoners on their journey and so we cooked up plans to stop them, hoping that they would just listen to our side. We wanted to help, we swear on it! Finding out that she was one of the summoners was just a perk, and I communicated with my dad about it."

I tilted my head, about to ask what she meant by communicating with him but then she pulled out a device that she could speak into and perhaps talk to whomever was listening on the receiving end of the transmission.

"Wait…if you're Yuna's uncle—"

"Yuna is half Al Bhed, Wakka. She always has been and always will be. She knew that from a long time ago. Telling you would only make you upset, and so we kept quiet about it." I looked over at Lulu—clearly amazed just as much as Wakka was about the news, only he wasn't too thrilled about it. One look from her crimson irises had him shut up quick though.

"Vidan!" Everyone turned to look at the same boy who'd managed to attack us at Macalania. I figured Rikku saw the look on my face, as I had vowed that I would sock him one if we ever got the chance to meet again, and so she tugged on tight to one of my hands before shaking her head again. Oh well, there were probably going to be a few more opportunities for me to get back at him for his transgression. I wasn't always impatient—I could wait for my prey if I really wanted it. The boy managed to say a few more words to Cid in Al Bhed that none of us had managed to catch, in which Cid responded with a lot more vigor than I expected for a man of his age. Come to think of it, he and my dad were about the same age or so…

Another hard squeeze on my hand had me wincing and looking down at Rikku. "What? What is it?"

Now I could see the tears in her eyes again as she said, "We're gonna blow up our home." Just as she said it, the crew burst into song. They were singing the Hymn of the Fayth, and my skin crawled. I intertwined my fingers with Rikku's, feeling a vague sense of déjà vu but casting it away. Right now she needed my comfort and I wasn't about to just let the chance slip away. The rest of us started singing alongside them as the ship lurched into action and up into the air. I could feel every single movement and shake as we were escaping the depths of a destroyed Home. I sucked in a breath as we fully stopped moving in the air, a moment of prayer for what we were about to do before the song ended and I could hear the missiles propelling from the ship.

The fire had hit Home directly and Rikku didn't dare sob or anything, she just held onto my hand as the ship starting speeding up and away from the damage. We took out the Guado and the rest of the Al Bhed who were trapped inside—if there were any survivors and made it out safely. And again we started singing the Hymn of the Fayth. This time, Cid had started singing on the intercom and I could hear right out of the doorway the countless other survivors on the ship joining us in the song. There was a tightness in my chest as we continued on, and the second we stopped Wakka had to be the idiot and say something to provoke Rikku.

"It's like big happy festival fireworks, ya?"

She glared at him, tearing herself away from me and our hand-hold. "You can stuff your festival you big meanie!" She made a move to hit him, but instead she stomped off and left the rest of us to look at Wakka with exasperation.

"Real smooth, captain." I sighed before looking at Lulu and Kimahri who shook their heads. I needed to get out of that room too now; I just needed to think. Moving out of that room and past my father who grunted at me, I stepped out into the corridor and touched the opposite walk before sinking down. There were so many people openly weeping around here that it was depressing and I had nowhere else to turn to.

Perhaps it was time to do a little exploring. It would be a few days until we found Yuna again.


	7. Chapter 7

Title: Spiral of Love

Pairings: Kimiko/Rikku, Auron/Tidus, Yuna/Tidus, Wakka/Lulu, Kimiko/Yuna

Summary: Kimiko is the daughter or Sir Auron and a guardian of Lady Yuna…love is not that hard to come by in a group of eccentric people, but is the one she loves going to respond to her advances?

Warnings: Plans to wedding crash, Angst some more, seductive Blitzball players, innocent flirtations from main characters, semi-fluff, and using my OC for my benefit…not all necessarily in that order.

Disclaimer: If I owned them do you really think I would be writing about them?

Notes: I had half of this chapter written up before I trashed it because it wasn't good enough. Then…the characters decided to do things their way and this is what we have. Enjoy?

Thanks to: My original beta reader: Exxal! And to all of you lovely readers!

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><p>Chapter Seven<p>

After Home became a pile of ash mixed with the sand of the Sanubia Desert, Cid announced that he was going to help the rest of us find Yuna. I was angry as hell that the Guado had kidnapped her and shed so much of the Al Bhed blood for no reason, if they were supposed to uphold the law and be peaceful then why couldn't they just have a diplomatic negotiation or something?! I didn't understand, and as much as tried to wrap my head around it…I still couldn't understand it all.

It took me a few hours before I felt like returning to the cockpit (even then I stayed only for a little while before going to my room), and that was only because I couldn't stand the cries of men, women, and children everywhere else on the airship. No matter where I went, I could either hear them singing, bellowing, or just shrieking for their loved ones to come back to them. Normally, I hated crying in front of other people. I always wanted to be strong, hold my own, and never let anyone see my moments of weakness even though there were many. I wanted people to rely or depend on me, but after seeing this…

There were so many times that I had shed tears alongside different families. Some were Yevonites and others were Al Bhed, then of course there were those who sided with nothing and hoped to live a peaceful existence despite all of the war and chaos. All of these people had come together in their moments of grief and created a strong bond despite their differences in faith or lifestyle. I thought about the Guado bitterly, and even though they had fucked up so bad and killed so many…something genuinely good had come out of it. Something good had come out of the death and destruction they caused.

That thought alone made me think about the pilgrimage and what it all means. I was even more afraid for Yuna who was going to take on a daunting task; the task of saving our world—saving Spira. And if and when she succeeded…I closed my eyes and shook my head; I didn't want to think of what it could mean, what the end of her pilgrimage could mean. It would only be more death and destruction and yet…something genuinely good for the population.

I sat in my bed for a while, thinking about the pilgrimage, the Al Bhed, Home, Yevon, and the Guado. I had hoped that the world would be at peace, that people would be happy to see their summoners fighting for them and trying to purge Spira of its evil…but what happened at Home only made me wonder if it even mattered. People were still willing to kill one another over trivial things, and as much good that was put in to the community…a lot of hate still came out. I sighed and fell back onto the mattress, my arm covering my eyes in case I decided to cry. I was arguing with myself not to cry because damn it all there were too many tears shed already on this airship. I had done enough of it already, and I wanted for the pain and anguish to go away…just evaporate or turn into a completely different emotion—one that would free everyone from the sadness.

Instead of my emotions magically changing in ten minutes, I fell asleep for three hours on my bed in the same position. I only woke up when the door opened and light burned my eyes because my arm fell off of my face. Hissing at the light and rubbing at my eyes, I could hear Rikku's voice whispering about how sorry she was for waking me up and that I should go right back to sleep. However, seeing as I had my fill of a cat nap, I continued to lie there only propped on my elbows and watched her close the door. She tried to maneuver in the darkness but that only made her crash into my bed and on top of me.

Smacking right into my chest, we both sank down on my bed and we were both hyper aware of how awkward this was. Especially since I had taken off my vest and was only in my midriff shirt. I could feel Rikku's cheeks burning into my chest as she tried to get off of me which only felt like she was shimmying further into my cleavage. Naturally, I couldn't help but laugh because she kept making things worse for herself and I really needed an outlet for my dark and depressing thoughts earlier. My laughter was what made her stop moving altogether and so I had a blond girl on top of my body and pressing me into the bed like dead weight now.

"Um, I'm really sorry!" she whispered, unmoving but I could tell that she was wondering if it was an acceptable time to get up.

Another laugh bubbled out of my throat and I patted the top of her head, easily finding it by my neck. "It's fine. But, I don't think we can really sleep like this…" She shifted and for some reason I didn't want her to leave me yet. She was keeping me relatively warm and I knew that if she got up, the loss of contact would have me feeling cold and a little empty. I pressed the top of her head and she stopped moving again. "Are you okay..?" I whispered.

She shifted again, this time her face left the crevice of my breasts and stared straight at me. Her eyes were so…_green_. The irises were swirled as were all Al Bhed's but hers looked like they glittered even in the darkness. They were bright, and reminded me of happiness even if she wasn't smiling at the moment. They were really pretty…quite beautiful. My breath hitched as we stared at each other; I almost forgot that I even asked a question because of the silence, but when Rikku did answer me I knew that my eyes widened at least a fraction of an inch.

"It's hard…This isn't the first time it's ever happened, but it's never been this horrible either. We all just wanted to live together happily…why can't things ever go the way that we want them to?" Her eyes closed and I immediately started stroking her hair. The ponytail came undone, letting a sea of gold scatter down her back and my chest and we just let it fall. It was so tiring to be this messed up, this hurt, this sad and depressed; one thing kept happening right after the other and there was no way to stop it. We wished we could stop all of it, at least give us some sort of a breather, but no…there wasn't a time to breathe, we just kept on drowning.

Rikku's eyes were closed tight and I already knew she was crying before the choked sobs started. It only made me hold her tighter, much closer, and I sincerely wanted to do anything to make her stop, to make the pain go away, but I was so helpless myself. After murdering Seymour and watching people die back at Home, I continually felt helpless and defenseless…and all we wanted so much was to be happy…

Rikku sniffed and opened her eyes again to look at me. She smiled a little, tears still coming down and coating my chest. She made a move to get off of me, and yet neither of us took the opportunity to let go of each other. "I want to be okay for everyone, but it just hurts so much Kimi. Don't you ever get tired of hurting..?"

One of my arms was still wrapped around her waist while the other was tangled in her hair. I let it go through her locks before pressing it to her cheek and wiping a tear away. We both swallowed at my action, and I wondered if she could hear my heart beating in my chest, roaring like never before even though I was so comfortable and felt so different around her than when I was with Yuna. "It does…it's very tiring, but we have to press on. You…maybe I'll even help build a new Home. A hell of a much cooler one because that design wasn't even as snazzy as it could have been—" Rikku laughed, a sincere one that went to her eyes. "Yeah…a much snazzier one, and then we can have parties or something in there. It'll be great."

She continued laughing before it died down into a few giggles. One of her hands reached up to touch my own that stayed on her cheek, taking off any traces of her tears so that she could keep smiling. She laced her fingers with mine; staring at me intently and I could guess that she was wondering if this was okay. We had definitely gotten past the boarders of a normal friendship, skirting into unfamiliar territory and possibly moving ahead to something different…something more. I swallowed again, thinking of where these things could lead before she guided my hand with her own so she could press a kiss to my palm.

"…Rikku…" It was a sudden and brief touch of lips to skin. It was barely a kiss and yet my hand felt much hotter than it did before. I was sure that my face was also burning up and probably mirroring her own face, but it was too dark to see anything but her eyes really. I didn't know what to say, what I could say that wouldn't damage the situation. It was only just a short while ago that I told Lulu I liked both Yuna and Rikku. That I wasn't going to chase after either of them, or let them know of my feelings because we had a pilgrimage to finish. And then here I was, on the verge of wanting to kiss Rikku and possibly screwing things up.

Before I could say anything else, she took my hand away from her mouth and started to get up. This time I let her, still unsure if I wanted her to actually leave me, hold her close, or ram her into the adjoining bed. I hadn't had sex in a while; the last time was on the boat to Luca or was it to Kilika..? Either way, it felt like a very long time and with everything that was happening it would be nice to take out my frustration even for a little bit. I licked my lips and thought about it, but came to the conclusion that I couldn't because this was Rikku and we had a job to do and her family was just practically murdered. It was a little insane to be thinking about gratification right now, wasn't it?

I sat up once Rikku was standing in front of me. She didn't say anything and her damned eyes just continued to shine and look beautiful in the darkness. I sighed and ran a hand through my own hair, ruffling it up a bit because I was so tired, so confused, and just so damned frustrated in more ways than one. My mind wasn't on the straight and narrow and I really, _really_ didn't want to fuck up anymore.

"We don't…we're not…I'm sorry." Rikku was still standing in front of me, and I pressed my head onto her stomach. My eyes closed as I sighed again, wanting to do more and pull away at the same time. It was maddening, so confusing, and irresistibly tempting. She patted my head and sniffed. I didn't know if it was supposed to be a kind or an affectionate gesture and so I just took it as both. Fisting the sheets so that I would wrap my arms around her waist, I started pushing my head into her so that she would try and get a move on.

"It's been a long…" What? Day? Week? Month? Who even knew anymore? "A lot's happened; we should both get some sleep. Tomorrow's going to be another long day and we've got stuff to do…" I trailed off, and moved away from Rikku's body. She stared down at me before she nodded, briefly closing her eyes and walked over to the other bed before climbing into it. She stripped off her shirt, but kept on her shorts and murmured a meager "good night" before turning away from me and pretended to sleep. I watched for a while, hoping that she would say something else or maybe climb into my bed, but neither of those scenarios played out in the night.

I sighed again, laying down properly and pulling the covers above my bed before whispering my own good night to her. The only response I got were soft snores that at least made me smile. I silently prayed to whatever was watching over us that she would have sweet and pleasant dreams, Rikku deserved that much…everyone on the airship—hell all of Spira deserved some happy dreams.

And with my prayer, I fell asleep.

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><p>x.x.x.<p>

"Aah! Do you think they could keep it down?!" I groaned just as Rikku started yelling in our room, picking up a broomstick and ramming into the adjoining wall. It was way too early in the morning for anyone to be angry, and I didn't hear the sounds that were coming through the wall under the haze of my sleep and dreams. I was going to say something, ask what she was so mad about but my throat felt like there was a ball in it from the way I had slept during the night.

"Mrgh…" Was the intelligent response I gave her while pulling my blankets up again. Rikku continued to bang on the wall letting my attempt at conversation go unheard. I would have fallen completely asleep if not for the fact that someone came into our room to see what all of the ruckus was about.

It was the third day since Home had been destroyed and we took to the skies to look for Yuna. The days prior had been uneventful after Rikku and I had our "chat" in the room where she kissed my palm. Every time I remembered it, I could still feel her lips grazing the skin and making my hand feel much warmer than it actually was. Of course, I quickly got over blushing about the whole thing and just kept wondering why I couldn't get the damned scene out of my head. Yes, I understood I liked her but I didn't need to act like some idiot in love; it just wasn't my style!

Also, she visited me in my dreams despite sleeping in the bed right next to my own. The only thing separating us was a small night table and a bit of space on the floor. The kinds of dreams I kept having did nothing but spurn on my crush and when I woke up I would groan in the displeasure of it only being a dream. It was the same damn thing every morning since that chat.

The door opened and Rikku abruptly stopped banging on the wall. I peeked under the covers to look at her and she had the broom poised for another attack. Just looking at her with her hair standing up on end in her bra and shorts made me want to laugh but I just rolled my eyes instead. She was such a wonder to behold in the mornings, really. I decided to focus my attention on whoever was at the door, rolling over a little bit I could see the outline of a male and I groaned already aware of who was standing there and giving us looks.

Sitting up, my blanket pooled at my waist and I rubbed my eyes while yawning. "Morning, dad. Sleep well?" He didn't answer me but switched his gaze between me and the frightful girl with a broomstick in her hands. She was holding it like some kind of spear and as he looked at her disapprovingly she scrambled to put it on the wall, squeak, and shuffle underneath my covers. I sighed heavily as Rikku wrapped her arms around my middle and jammed her face into my side. "I'm guessing it's time to get up, huh?"

"Hmph. Breakfast is ready; make yourselves decent." He nodded before slamming the door behind him as he exited.

Rikku's face was still in my side even after he left, and the touch was making me more uncomfortable by the minute. She smelled really good and I was also wondering if she tasted just about the same. I tried to pry her off of my body but with each pulling motion, she just latched onto me tighter. "C'mon, you heard what he said we gotta get ready." She shook her head, rubbing her nose into me which was making me a little ticklish. It had me laughing a little and I tried to push her off again. "Rikku!"

"Mm. Let's just stay here for a little while longer. Please?" Her _please_ was more of a whine than an actual question and I sighed again. What was up with this girl and why did I feel a lot more comfortable around her than anyone else? I understood what it was with Yuna and why I felt like I needed to impress her so much, but with Rikku…this comfort and lust was a bit too much to bear. I ran a hand through my tangled hair before patting her head, admittedly giving up and letting her do what she wanted with me.

I had succumbed to her innocent charms.

After another half hour of just sitting in my bed together, Rikku withdrew from me and got dressed. She told me that she had already showered and everything and that I should do what I needed to. Before I even stripped myself in the bathroom, she was gone to some other part of the airship and neither of us talked about why we needed the physical contact when we first woke up. Nothing happened other than just sitting there in each other's arms, but most people would see that as a little weird even under the circumstances. It's not as if I was consoling her or that it was the other way around…

It was all so confusing.

Within the bathroom under the warm running water, I stood there and thought of the events that had transpired already since our pilgrimage began. There were still so many sights we had yet to see and get through before we reached the end, and none of us had any brilliant plans to stop the inevitable. It wasn't so much that I hadn't given it much thought, I'm sure we all did, but…It was just so hard to try and figure something out. I banged my hand against the shower wall, water pelting me and soaking me through and through. It was pleasant against my skin and made me feel like it was purging me of my sins, like the murder of Maester Seymour and yet once the air made contact with my skin…I felt just as unclean as before.

Underneath the shower water I could also cry easily, shedding also of my vulnerabilities and insecurities where no one else could see them. It would take me about fifteen minutes for it all to go on before I felt well enough to climb out of the shower and get dressed. I would put up the mask again, pretend to be much stronger than I felt so that I could be a pillar of strength just like Yuna. I couldn't let anyone think of me as weak even if I felt like I was.

Once I was ready to face the day, I would make my way down to the cafeteria/bar area of the airship and I would always find my father down there. He held that jug of alcohol close to him but didn't seem to use it unless he felt like it was absolutely necessary. Every time he caught me staring at it, he would act as if he was going to tell me the story behind it but thought better of it. Believe me, it was just as agitating as it sounds, he didn't give me as many details of his life before mom and me if he didn't want to.

I sat down at the bar beside him as a plate slid down right in front of me courtesy of the cook. I would give them a smile and a wave before showing down and waiting for my old man to talk first. If I started the conversation, I wouldn't get much out of him, but if he started it then he would talk a little bit more than I expected. After learning that the hard way, I made sure to keep to this kind of communication with him. After my plate was half gone, he decided to open his mouth. Even though he drank heavily, he didn't smell like an alcoholic in the slightest which I thought was odd but it was great as well. It would suck if I had to cover my nose in his presence.

"We're close to finding her and continuing our journey." I made a small noise in appreciation while I was scarfing my food into my mouth. It was good to find out that we weren't all that far from Yuna now and we could get through our pilgrimage again. "It's been too long since we were on land." He sighed and went back to downing his cup as I stared at him.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of heights." He grunted and continued drinking. I laughed a little and swallowed the food I was chewing on. "No way…"

"I am not afraid. Being in one place for too long of a time makes me restless. After traveling for so long, you realize that all you want to do is continue on." He had a point; I was also getting tired of being cooped up on the airship, wanting to stretch my legs on the outside. Sure, we had the deck in which we had access to, but that wasn't the same as feeling the roads beneath our feet as we walked on during the pilgrimage.

"Mm. Guess that's true."

Our conversation didn't last very long as my father had his fill of liquor for the time being. He left the bar and made it a point to tell me to come to the control room as he had a feeling we would be landing shortly. I waved dismissively at him and finished the rest of my breakfast. As I ate the last of my portion, I heard a few giggles coming from behind me and I curiously turned around to see what all the commotion was about. I ended up staring at two female Al Bhed blitzball players. Their giggling grew to new heights as I held up my hand to wave at them as well.

Two small waves were granted back to me as the cook leaned over to take my plate away. "They've been staring for some time, miss. Looks like you've got a few admirers." He chuckled and glanced over at the girls who were apparently still watching me. "Perhaps you should introduce yourself, even though everyone knows of the Yevonites who were helping at Home. It would be nice to have a face to match that reputation."

I gave it some thought as the cook gave me a wink and returned to his duties. There wasn't any harm in going over to introduce myself to the two lovely ladies, and yet the idea still didn't feel all that right to me. I had no idea why but I felt that if I went over to talk to them that I would be causing some great offense, but to whom I did not know. I sat in the chair swiveling and trying to get the girlish giggles out of my mind, but they decided to strike first. One of the girls came over and took the seat that my father had occupied only minutes before and leaned over the counter, body facing me.

"(1)_Lida._ Ryjah'd caah syho mega oui pavuna." She whistled as her friend giggled from their table behind me and I smiled. Rikku had given me a few lessons on the Al Bhed language since I started rooming with her. She felt that it would benefit me if I needed to talk to anyone who only spoke Al Bhed. It helped that I understood the compliment that the girl was giving me right now.

"(2)Dryhgc. Oui tuh'd mug cu pyt ouincamv." My accent was thick and I was still having a problem letting it flow, but she merely giggled and leaned in a little closer. I took a sip of a glass of water that the cook gave to me before smiling at the girl. She obviously wanted to keep paying me compliments and hopefully have something else happen but the second I was going to open my mouth again; Rikku ran into the cafeteria and made a beeline for me.

"Kimi!" My head snapped up to look in the direction where my name was called, but Rikku was already standing right before me and staring between me and the girl. At least now she was going to know my name before I would be able to find out hers. Hands on her hips and a disappointed look in her eyes, I opened my mouth to ask her what was up but she grabbed my arm and tugged me out of my seat. "We've got to go, they found Yunie and we're going to go get her now!" I had no say in what was happening and suddenly I found another hand on my other arm that wasn't occupied by Rikku; a forceful tug made me stop and my friend along with me.

"Uh…" I turned to see that the Blitzball player had an eyebrow raised and was standing beside me with her hand on my arm.

Leaning onto me, her breast pressed into my shoulder and she wrapped her other arm around my neck. "(3)Lyh'd oui caa fa'na ryjehk vih? Ouin vneaht ec y pek kenm; fro hud mayja ran fedr sa?" Her voice was husky and the way she was leaning onto me made me lick at my lips. There was no doubt that she was quite attractive with her long blond hair pulled into a ponytail and her green eyes unobstructed by glasses like so many the Al Bhed wore. And the way she spoke against my ear didn't make me want her any less. However, there was Rikku who tugged on my arm again and pulling me away from the sultry blitzball player and closer to her. She changed her grasp on my arm to my wrist and wouldn't let go for the life of her.

Glaring at the blitzball player she told her, "(4)E fuimth'd ajah mayja Brother fedr oui. Ryhtc uvv uv ran." Without another word Rikku turned on her heel and tugged me out of the cafeteria. I could still hear the girl and her friend speaking rapidly in Al Bhed and probably yelling after the two of us, but my mind was trying to wrap around Rikku's last sentence. Once we traveled through two corridors together, she dropped her grip on my wrist and stopped completely. Her whole body was turned away from me and I reached out to touch her shoulder only to be brushed off. "We're going to get Yunie now. We've got to meet up with the others first."

I wanted to say something that would make her feel slightly better but there was nothing I could say. Her change in attitude made me feel guilty when I had done nothing wrong. As we walked down the rest of the halls all the way to the control room, she didn't turn around or say anything else to me. I would sigh heavily every so often so that she could ask me what was wrong, but I supposed she was wrapped up in her own thoughts to deal with it. In that way, we reached the cockpit and she hurried fast to her father's side. There wasn't going to be any time to talk about what was going on between us for a while now.

Sighing again, I walked over to stand by Tidus as Cid triumphantly declared that he found our summoner. She was located in Bevelle right now, and more importantly they were holding her against her will, or at least that's how he translated the situation. Brother hit a few panels before lighting up a screen and showing us what was happening.

The city of Bevelle was heavily guarded with many soldiers and infantrymen, and they also had a sacred guardian watching above the skies. Its name is Evrae and its one massive creature. From our point in the sky, we were close enough to Bevelle to see what was happening: the soldiers moving in tandem to protect their city and its citizens, the guardian wyrm Evrae floating above them and protecting them as well and of course the commotion that had the citizens celebrating through the streets.

"Wait, what's she wearing?" Wakka asked suddenly.

I looked closer as did Tidus and suddenly we glanced at one another. On the screen wandering through the streets of Bevelle in a wedding gown was Yuna. Her eyes were forward, walking up to the highest point of the entire city and from the other side was Seymour and his own entourage following suit. It looked like a happy wedding and the citizens had every right to celebrate the coming union but those of us who were watching the screen intently knew that this was no happy affair.

Lulu sighed and crossed her arms. "It's called a wedding dress." Even though her words carried their normal sarcastic tone, I could tell she was furious about the entire thing.

"So that's their game then. A marriage between her and Seymour even if she didn't want it in the first place?" Tidus grunted as he looked up on the screen, seemingly angry at the proceedings. Yuna was like another sister in his eyes, and he would be damned if she was going to be forced to do something like this.

"I don't think that's all though. Yuna wanted to marry him to give Spira hope. I think now she's still doing that, but with a cost. She's not as naïve as everyone thinks she is…" I bit my lip as my words trailed off, wondering what it was that she could be after now. Seymour isn't as dead as we originally thought, even after I had shot him right in the chest. He was…

"An unsent." I turned around to look at my father. "That is what he has become, and he is a dangerous one at that. Perhaps she wishes to send him."

Everyone took in a collective breath. It would make sense that Yuna would do something risky like that; the entire pilgrimage was a gamble on her life anyway, and this would make no difference. I looked at Cid before walking up to him. "We've got to go and get her before it's too late. Who knows what could happen?" I looked at everyone gathered here and my eyes met with Kimahri's, and he nodded. "We've got a wedding to crash; let's make an entrance—a damn good one that they'll never forget." I smiled at Cid again, "I think you can get us close right? We'll take out Evrae before we get to Yuna and Seymour."

"Hahaha! I like your style kiddo!" He clamped a hand on my shoulder before ruffling my hair. "Rikku! (5)Kuut lruela." I glanced over at her to see that she was blushing and failed to hide it. I made a mental note to ask what was going on with her later on when we had some more spare time, but for now we had a job to do.

Kimahri and my father were the first to exit the room and make their way to the deck. They wasted no time in prepping themselves for the battle ahead and I couldn't help but smile. Wakka and Lulu followed them, and the Blitzball captain kept asking questions about weddings that made Lulu sigh even more with exasperation. If Chappu planned to marry her, didn't he ever confide in his brother? I tilted my head in thought as I watched them go but couldn't find any answers.

"Guess we've got to head out too." Now it was Tidus who pressed a hand to my shoulder and started pushing me out of the door. I couldn't even argue with him as we made it to our rooms to grab our weaponry before checking in with Rin. Being a proprietor of any and all of the Al Bhed inns located throughout Spira, he gave us a lovely discount for helping out with fighting the Guado at Home and keeping the peace on the airship. He gave us a few words of encouragement before moving to another part of the ship and out of our way.

By the time we reached the top deck and breathed in the fresh air, everyone was assembled and more than willing to fight for our summoner. It took us ten minutes for Cid to pull up closer to Bevelle, close enough that Evrae became aware of our presence and everyone got into their battle positions. As we were all ready to strike, Cid's voice rang from the intercom and onto the deck to us. "All right. I've got some photon blasters here that can blast that thing from here to kingdom come! But, you're all gonna have to tell me when to move."

"Roger that!" Rikku piped up.

"I'll help with the commands!" Tidus shouted.

Right after those words were uttered, it was go time.

* * *

><p>Key of Al Bhed phrases:<p>

(1)_Cute._ Haven't seen many like you before.  
>(2)Thanks. You don't look so bad yourself.<br>(3)Can't you see we're having fun? Your friend is a big girl; why not leave her with me?  
>(4)I wouldn't even leave Brother with you. Hands off of her.<br>(5)Good choice.


	8. Chapter 8

Title: Spiral of Love

Pairings: Kimiko/Rikku, Auron/Tidus, Yuna/Tidus, Wakka/Lulu, Kimiko/Yuna

Summary: Kimiko is the daughter or Sir Auron and a guardian of Lady Yuna…love is not that hard to come by in a group of eccentric people, but is the one she loves going to respond to her advances?

Warnings: Actual wedding crashing, more introspective moments from OC, actual fayth summoning, religious propaganda, shaken faiths, a lot of undead folk, and general catastrophe as per FFX's plotline.

Disclaimer: If I owned them do you really think I would be writing about them?

Notes: Whoa we're still going strong and things are really getting crazy. Truthfully, this part of the plot is my favorite and everything beforehand was just a really long prologue. Maybe I'll have an intermission chapter one of these days…about what I don't know. Uh, I'm rambling. Enjoy!

Thanks to: My original beta reader: Exxal! And to all of you lovely readers!

* * *

><p>Chapter Eight<p>

My breath caught in my throat as I watched Evrae sail through the sky and come straight for us. It collided with the airship at first; which made some of us lose our footing and so I lashed out a hand to grab at anyone who might have fell around me. Clasping the hand that found its way to mine, I pulled the person up beside me and looked at who it was. Rikku and I stared at each other for a few seconds as a rose tint colored her cheeks and then I heard Tidus shout at me.

"The two of you can look at each other all you want later!" Rikku let go like I burned her and then ran to where the rest of our group was fighting Evrae.

I also ran toward our little group, pulling out my twin pistols and taking the safety off. Evrae roared and tilted its head back—clearly ready to attack us but Wakka and Lulu were the first to make a direct hit. His blitzball hit it on its nose which made the wyrm roar at us all over again, but Lulu's _Thundaga_ spell caught it right in the throes of hitting the airship once again.

"Good shot you two!" They each smirked at me before swapping their positions with my father and Tidus. Each of them hacked away at Evrae, ducking and dodging its claws that tried to rip into them. I never knew how much Tidus had grown with his swordplay as I watched him fight alongside my father—their styles complementing each other in an intriguing way. They were fighting with their backs towards one another—seemingly holding each other up and making sure that Evrae didn't hit either of them.

"Kimi, bullets won't do good. Summon." I blinked at Kimahri as he made his way toward me and then my gaze drifted down to my pistols. I had a feeling that my bullets wouldn't pierce through Evrae's scaly skin, but I still wanted to try. As the airship moved closer to the beast, I moved as close as I could get without its claws tearing at me and shot two perfectly good bullets at it. All I got in return was my bullets bouncing off of it and Evrae's thunderous cry as it stared straight at me!

"(1)Vydran! Cu van!" I heard Rikku say as the wyrm snarled at me for even daring to try and kill it with my pathetic weapon.

"(2)Fyed y susahd!" Cid's voice rang out through the intercom before Evrae took in a huge breath of air. "Don't be falling now!" The ship lurched backward and we all had to keep our footing this time, lest we fall off the airship and possibly down onto the streets of Bevelle. Kimahri held me and shook his head as if to say "I told you so" and I smiled sheepishly at him. I really did try to do things without having to use my summon; I didn't feel like it was my job—it was Yuna's.

Lulu and Wakka continued to pelt Evrae with their attacks as they were the only ones who could because the rest of us were out of range. I realized that it was a good thing we had those two on our team because if we didn't, this whole fight would have been much more difficult. As their attacks continued to make contact, Evrae let out the breath it was holding and I could see the air turn green and slightly black and purple with noxious gas. If that had touched any of us we would have been poisoned, and although we have some potions and antidotes, we weren't all spectacular healers.

"That looks like some pretty nasty stuff!" I looked over at Tidus who was staring at Evrae's poisonous gas and I couldn't help but laugh. Even in the middle of battle, he made ridiculous comments to lift everyone's mood. Rikku giggled at him and punched his shoulder while my father shook his head and grunted. I could tell he was enjoying himself, even if it was a little bit. Perhaps it was because of all of us kids around him.

"Heads up!" I heard Cid's voice again on the intercom and Evrae was once again charging for us. We all ducked just in time as he tried to claw at us, avoiding more scratches and cuts against our skin.

Tidus and my father went back to their original position that seemed t work best for them while Kimahri joined them. Lulu and Wakka hung out back by me and Rikku who was now preparing something in her hands. I stared at her trying to figure out what it was before she grinned at me. "Kimahri said something about you being able to summon right?" I nodded at her. "Can it fly?"

I tilted my head and thought about Valefor. When I had first stepped into the Chamber of the Fayth, she had smiled at me and told me how much I desired freedom and that flight would be a perfect kind of power for someone like me. When I asked her if she was someone who once craved the same thing, she merely smiled and flew straight into my chest without hesitation. I had no idea what to expect when it came to something like that, but having her mingle inside of my soul wasn't as unpleasant as the initial contact.

I was about to answer Rikku that yes, she can fly, until I heard a voice from inside of myself. "Is flight the power you seek, Kimiko?" I recognized the same low and maternal voice as the one that belonged to Valefor's fayth. I smiled and touched my chest; it was pleasantly warm and glowing with a light that I hadn't noticed I held within me.

"Yes…" The light exploded out of my chest and engulfed me. I couldn't see anything but the bright light as I took a hold of all of my senses. That last for less than a second in real time, but for me things abruptly stopped and I saw Valefor's fayth before me, smiling at me like a mother would at her child.

"Then I will grant you with the power you seek." The woman faded from view and another beacon of light shone down from the sky. I looked up as did everyone else and immediately a large avian creature flew about until its gaze locked onto mine. With a cry it flew down and hovered above me with its beak extended so that I could touch it. Hesitantly I pressed my hand to its beak and patted it. In my mind I could hear, "You are welcome…"

I smiled and said, "thank you." Turning to look over at Rikku, she gaped at me and I giggled. "Yeah, we can fly. Got a plan?"

She didn't have a chance to answer me as Cid cut in again. "This is it! I'll give it all we've got!" Our group looked around confused by what he could mean as we felt the airship rumble and the platform underneath us shake. Just as I was about to ask what was going on, a mass amount missiles erupted from the platform underneath us and hit Evrae directly. One after the other, missiles kept on attacking it and Rikku moved close to me and tugged me arm.

"What?"

She held up something akin to a grenade and looked at Valefor. Easily, I instructed the summon to let us both on her back so that we could ride her. She granted us permission and we flew straight for Evrae.

"Be careful!" I heard Lulu shout at us as we crossed the distance between the airship and the guardian wyrm.

"Go team!" I heard from Tidus and I giggled alongside Rikku as the missiles subsided. Cid really did put everything he had into those missiles as I looked back to see the ship suddenly teetering.

"We've got to be quick Rikku!" She nodded and as we approached Evrae, it's mouth was still hung open in shock. There were gashes covering the whole of its body and I yelled to Valefor. "Take us a little bit closer!" Listening to my command, she did as was told and Rikku threw the grenade right into its gaping maw. "Pull back!" I shouted.

"Aah!" Rikku grabbed onto me as Valefor flew faster and higher than before as the grenade made its way down into the depths of Evrae's body. In a flash, its body began to contort and I could see that the grenade exploded faster than either of us had expected it to. Covering Rikku's body with my own, I held onto her tightly as we flew back onto the ship. Valefor let us go and I dismissed her.

I could smell the sick odor of sulfur as Evrae's body blew up in flames before exploding itself. Pyreflies erupted from its body and drifted through the skies like beautiful colors and lights. Everyone covered their eyes and mouths just as the ship began its descent onto Bevelle. "Hold on!" Cid yelled and everyone grabbed onto a portion of the deck—clinging onto it for dear life.

We were crashing fast and hard. The highbridge was suddenly in my view and I shouted, "what are we gonna do?!"

"(3) Bimm ib! Bimm ib!" I heard Cid shout through the intercom and suddenly the ship lurched up again. We barely hit the Highbridge thanks to Brother's reckless piloting and I rolled my eyes. I could see Yuna and Seymour from where we were and her veil flew up and caught onto the airship. I had no time to dwell on how pretty she looked or anything about her appearance as two wires flew out of the airship and crashed right into the part of the bridge where the wedding was being held. "Go save my niece!" Was the last thing we heard from Cid as we jumped onto the two cables.

I'm not overly fond of heights, but I'm not super scared of them either. Which was why as much as I hated sliding down those cables from the airship above the city of Bevelle where I could have fallen down to my doom, I was also terribly excited because of the adrenaline rush coursing through my body. It also helped that as I was sliding down, Rikku was right in front of me and I got the best view of her little backside also sliding down the cables. She jumped off ahead me alongside Tidus, while I jumped down next to my father. Kimahri was holding Lulu and the two of them jumped off with Wakka. When the last of our group was onto the bridge, the cables snapped behind us and the airship flew off to goodness knows where.

I thanked Cid in my mind, and I hoped we would see him again safe and sound. Rikku looked behind to where the ship was taking off and smiled. If she could see them off with that kind of expression, then I figured I should have no doubts in my mind about meeting Cid and Brother all over again. Pressing my hand onto her shoulder, I smiled and she nodded. It was time to go get Yuna.

Speaking of our summoner, I turned to look up through the bridge and up the staircase. She was standing there alongside Seymour who held her arm. I growled as Tidus shouted her name and then our entire group took off running. There were many soldiers and infantrymen poised with their weaponry but we took them down in an instant.

"Cut through! Take down the ones who matter!" There was a cheer that went through all of us as we heard my father's words. We took them to heart as we did as he said; only taking down the ones who were in front of us so that we could get to the staircase quicker. We didn't stop as we count down the men and machines, shedding blood onto the floors of the sacred city of Bevelle and staining the carpets so that people down below were shrieking at the sudden violence tearing through their beloved city. I rolled my eyes as I wondered if people living here ever bothered to find out anything about the ones who ruled over them.

I had no time to ponder it for long as we had to halt. Our group was surrounded by Maester Kinoc and another faction of soldiers. Tidus, my father, and I were right in the front and guns were poised in our faces, ready to blow us to bits. Rikku was behind me and I could feel her hand at the small of my back as I struggled to move past the guards, but she willed me to stop just as my father held out his arm in front of Tidus for him to stop as well.

Glaring at the top of the steps, my eyes caught Seymour's and he smiled; that _bastard_. I turned my gaze to Yuna beside him and I saw that she was moving slowly as to not rouse his suspicions; my father was right about what she was doing. In one fluid motion, she brought her staff from behind her to her front, and got out of Seymour's hold so that she could hold it between them. The look of surprise on his face was enough to make me smile, but what happened afterward only made me seethe with anger once again.

Yuna began to send him as is a summoner's duty, however Maester Mika stopped her before Seymour could fully travel to the Farplane."Stop! Do you not value your friends' lives? Your actions determine their fate. Protect them…or throw them away. The choice is yours." Yuna's hands fumbled with the staff as she stopped the sending. Maester Mika looked at each and every one of us in our gang before turning back to Yuna. I could tell that it was with a heavy heart that she stopped the sending and let go of her staff. It slowly fell to the floor and rolled down the staircase at Tidus' feet with a soft thud. My hand balled into my fist and I wondered what the hell Maester Mika thought he was doing.

I read Seymour's lips as Yuna tried to look away from us. "You are wise…" He said to her, and I tried to rebel again. This time Rikku grabbed at my elbow and squeezed. I turned to look at her but she only shook her head sadly at me. She knew that we were helpless in this situation but we had to do _something._

Turning back to look at Seymour and Yuna, the wedding began again. Approaching Yuna slowly, Seymour took hold of her shoulders and leaned in. My stomach turned into knots as I realized what he was doing and I wanted to lash out again. With Rikku's hold on my elbow and Tidus being held by my father, neither one of us could save Yuna. Seymour's lips touched hers gently at first, signaling the bells to ring throughout the city and I could hear the cheers of the citizens down below; they ahd no idea what was truly happening.

I could see Yuna's hand balling into a fist and that Seymour's lips had started to press into hers with a lot more force than before. She would let him kiss her lips but she would be damned if he thought he would get any tongue. My anger was bubbling over and I could feel my whole body tingling with it. I was going to kill him again if I could help it, and this time I was planning on him staying dead. The clamor of the crowds below became background noise as Seymour finally released his lips on Yuna's and looked straight into my eyes with a smile.

"Kill them." The soldier's guns clicked as the safety was taken off.

"I am sorry, but it is for Yevon." I didn't take my eyes off of Seymour's for a second, but I could tell that it was Kinoc who was speaking to us.

"Aren't those weapons forbidden by Yevon?" My father…I could hear his angry tone.

Another click and Tidus moved into me as Rikku withdrew her hand from my elbow. Kinoc was speaking again, but my eyes were still locked onto Seymour."There are exceptions."

Another voice rang out, signaling everyone to stop what they were doing and look. "No!" Even I was surprised at the outburst, only to see Yuna upon a railing and poised to fall backward. "Throw down your weapons. Let them go…or else…" I sucked in a breath as she moved backward some more and I shook my head. I didn't want her to die!

The soldiers began to stand down and after staring at them for another minute, our group ran up to Yuna and bypassed Seymour. I was ready to sock him one, but I realized that if I retaliated right this very moment, then we would all die alongside Yuna. I would have to wait for the most appropriate moment in order to kick his ass. When I passed him, he had muttered something or other and chuckled, but I was not able to catch it in the slightest. I was preoccupied with getting my summoner, and getting the hell out of there.

Once we reached Yuna, she was giving us strict instructions to go. Tidus and I explained that we weren't just about to leave her like this, but she smiled and said that she could fly. I grabbed Tidus' hand as he reached out to grab her, but I fully understood what she was intending to do. The first Aeon that the two of us achieved was going to save her just as she had saved me and the rest of our group. I nodded at Yuna, realizing that our promise to each other at the start of everything was finally giving us the boost of confidence that we needed in order to carry through.

She clasped her hands to her chest and smiled.

"I believe you Yuna. We'll see you soon." She fell backward, her body sailing down through the city and just before she made contact with anything, a bright light filled the sky and I saw an avian creature fly down at the speed of light. Valefor caught her in her arms, and was floating down gently into the streets of Bevelle with Yuna in her embrace.

There was a moment of peace as no one moved after Yuna's stunt, but then Rikku broke through the silence and shouted, "Cover your eyes!" Immediately our group followed her instructions, and latched onto one another. Once the smoke cleared somewhat, we took off running down the bridge as guards were still coughing and shouting commands at one another. In the middle of the chaos, I saw Kimahri pick up Tidus and start running after us. My father was leading us all through the crowds.

"What was that?!" I heard Wakka call out.

"An Al Bhed flashbomb!" Rikku answered him.

Tidus was vocalizing both of our thoughts on wanting to murder Seymour over and over again as Kimahri continued to hold him. Lulu tried to answer him calmly that we had to meet up with Yuna first before any of us could achieve that kind of mission. We had to fight several more guards before we reached another entryway, and realized that it would lead us down into the Cloister. I laughed at our stroke of luck for being able to find it easily in this kind of frenzied state, but when we realized how machinated the place was it became no laughing matter.

"They betray their own teachings." Wakka sighed at my father's comment. After all the years of faithfully following the strict edict and doctrines of Yevon, I could tell that Wakka was getting tired of all of the blasphemous acts of the high priests of Yevon. His faith was probably in shambles and I patted his shoulder. There was nothing I could do for him as I barely cared about the teachings because I chose to live my own life without any real faith. It was another reason why I had not wanted to become but a summoner but a guardian instead.

I thought back on the promise I made with Yuna and when I acquired Valefor.

_Yuna had dedicated her whole life to Yevon; she wanted to follow in her father's footsteps and become a High Summoner like him. I admired her for her strong will, but I most definitely did not like the whole pilgrimage and summoning business. I would always laugh and mock her dream of wanting to tour Spira and acquire the Aeons to defeat Sin. She would always give me a small smile, touch my hand and then tell me, "One day you'll understand how much this will mean to me. I want the people of Spira to be free from Sin and to live in a world where they won't have to be afraid anymore."_

_It never clicked until the day she was told that she might make it as a summoner. At that point, we had already learned what it was that a summoner must do in order to defeat Sin. I argued with her nonstop, telling her that it was just a passing dream and that to forfeit her life to a bunch of people who didn't even know of her existence would make no difference. I yelled at her, telling her that no matter what, Sin always came back and that it wouldn't be worth it. I made her cry, and hated myself for doing so, but I didn't want Yuna to die._

_A few days after that, I found myself in front of Yuna's bed. I was kneeling on the floor after an entire night of tossing and turning in some girl's bed and knowing damn well that she was not the one I wanted to hold in my arms. I slept with that girl and paid her no mind after I was finished and seemingly exhausted. I pretended to fall asleep but then throughout the night my guilt left an ache in my heart and I realized that I had to apologize. When I found myself in Yuna's hut the next morning, her back was turned to me and I said every kind of apology I could think of. I didn't even have the heart to look at her back, just kept my eyes cast to the floor._

_The bed creaked and I knew she was looking at me, and before I knew it her feet touched the floor. "Kimiko." She called to me and urged me to look at her. Hesitantly, I gazed up at her and she smiled though her eyes were filled with tears. It had been a few days since our fight, and the second I really looked at her, I rushed up from my knees and took her into my arms. I suppose that was when I realized I felt strange around Yuna; wanting to protect her, care for her, and then kiss her all the same. My feelings for Yuna were so strong that at that point I knew that if she was going to go through with this pilgrimage, then I would be there for her a hundred percent._

_Months later, Lulu and Wakka had tried the same approach that I did. They argued and tried to goad her away from what she believed she wanted but to no avail. They came up to me and we all tried to work this thing out, finally coming to the realization that we would have to be her guardians._

_Lulu shook her head and sighed. "No matter what we do…she just follows her heart."_

_Wakka nodded before holding his head in his hands. "This would be your third, Lu. Maybe she'll stop when she figures out its too much?"_

_The three of us were in Lulu's hut, sitting around and trying to hope for the best. Kimahri was out with Yuna as she was attending prayers with a few of the Yevon priests in the temple. They wouldn't be back for another few hours, and in another few weeks she would try to acquire her first Aeon, even if none of us thought she was strong enough for that yet._

"_You know she would stop at nothing to do what she wants. If she believes in herself, in this whole pilgrimage thing, and in Spira…you know she's going to do it. She's going the full Monty, Wakka." He looked at me before putting his head in hands again and we all sighed collectively. We would have chats like that almost every other day until the week prior to her becoming a full-fledged summoner._

_Yuna and I were sitting on the docks with our feet in the water, and splashed each other every so often for fun. We were truly enjoying ourselves and I still tried to wrap my head around all of the complicated feelings she gave me, but figured it was best to let them die down. She smiled at me before leaning on my shoulder and saying, "Hey…soon I'll be a summoner you know? A real one. Then we can all journey on the pilgrimage together…" There was this wistful tone in her voice, and I tilted my head so that it would lay on top of hers._

"_Yeah…" It hurt, thinking about what her pilgrimage would mean, but if she wanted to do it there was no way any one of us could stop her._

"_You should acquire a summon too." She blurted out._

_I stared at her incredulously, moving away from her so that she had to sit up again. "What?! Yuna, you know me and the priests don't exactly see eye to eye, not to mention the fact that I do not like the whole Yevon thing, and I haven't been praying like a devout Yevonite like you. So, no. No thanks."_

_She laughed at me, and it was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard in my life. "All of that is true, but I don't think it matters. I think it's all about what's in here—" She poked my chest; right where my heart was located and grinned. "That really matters if you'll acquire an Aeon or not, and I really do believe that you could get one. And it would be nice! You could still protect me and probably do a better job than myself." Then she leaned back, her hands pressed behind her on the dock and looked up into the sky. "Actually, Kimiko…I'm scared. I don't want to go through this alone, and so I just asked you because…well, I'm not really sure why I asked you."_

_I reached out and pulled her head to my chest. Hugging her closely, I knew that my heart was beating rapidly but I couldn't help myself. There were so many things that I wanted to do to her but I wasn't about to let my desires rule over me. As she wrapped her arms around my waist, I told her, "Alright. I'll see if I can get one, but I'd rather just be your guardian and protect you. This is my first and my only Aeon. I'll protect you with it; I'll give my life to protect you always, Yuna. You'll never be alone."_

_Neither of us said anything else that day, after all there was nothing left to say. I had let my feelings come across in the best way I knew how and that was it. Days later, I went into the Cloister of Trials with Wakka at my side only. It was his only free day and he stared at me like I was nuts when I told him what I was going to do. Neither one of us had expected that I would make my way into the Chamber of the Fayth, speak with Valefor's fayth, nor acquire the summon. My body was flushed afterwards, completely exhausted from merging my soul with that of Valefor's fayth, but I did feel like I accomplished something spectacular. And then days after that was Yuna's trial, and then…this pilgrimage._

I was brought back to reality once we had found ourselves in the Cloister, easily navigating through the trials, but incredibly confused as to why there were so many machinas in a place of faith. Wakka continued looking gloomy and muttering under his breath about the way we were treated and how the people who were the traitors were those running the show. If I were an asshole, I probably would have moved over to him and said "I told you so" but I didn't have the heart to do something like that to him. Instead, everyone let him be as we maneuvered through the trials and ever closer towards the Chamber of the Fayth.

Rikku played with many of the control panels that would open the doors to some of the rooms in the Cloister. When I asked her about it, she explained that these panels were kind of like the same ones that ran through the airship. They didn't require a lot of thought, and could easily be hacked into if left in someone's capable hands. She winked at me and I just shook my head and laughed at her. Despite being a bit younger than me, Tidus, and Yuna, Rikku was well educated and well-versed when it came to all technology due to her Al Bhed lineage.

We all made it to the Chamber of the Fayth quick and efficiently, and then Tidus ran to the door that we all hoped our summoner was behind. He tried to lift it even though he didn't possess the strength and Wakka yelled at him. "Stuff your taboos!" Tidus' retorted and Kimahri gave him a helping hand when it came to opening the door. Lifting it somewhat, the blond was able to scramble through it and he gave me a thumb up before heading in. I suppose he was reassuring me that he was going to get her out safe and sound, and then my father followed in after him.

"He's still weird…" I heard Rikku mutter from behind me and I only smiled at her.

"Mm. My dad and Tidus are both weird. Guess that's why they're family."

She giggled and put her hands behind her back, easily mirroring her cousin whenever she saw feeling a little mischievous. "But Wakka, Lulu, and Kimahri are a little weird too…so does that make them family?" I looked over at the three people she mentioned and laughed again, nodding because I couldn't answer due to my amusement. "What about me? I'm not all that weird, am I?" I stopped laughing and wondered what would be an appropriate answer until I could hear the thunderous footsteps of soldiers approaching; my father took that time to appear as well.

I stared at the entryway as the Lulu, Wakka, and Kimahri came to stand with the three of us. Tidus and Yuna hadn't come out of the Chamber yet and we were hoping it would take a while before they did. Each of us outside of the Chamber made a move to take out our weapons and fight, even though we knew it would be futile. Maester Kinoc was the first to enter followed by an entourage of guards. Each of them caring a gun—more machina to add insult to injury.

He was about to say something until the Chamber door began to open and Rikku yelled out, "Wait! Don't come out!" But she was too little too late. Tidus stepped out with Yuna passed out in his arms and Kinoc laughed.

"You are to stand trial."

I stepped up, glaring at him. "Highly doubt it'll be fair, fatty."

His eyes narrowed at me as my father chuckled behind me. "Of course it will. Take them away."

We were already expecting the worst when it came down to the High Court of Yevon, but I don't think any of us could have truly been prepared for what awaited us at our trial. I had to continually bite back the urge to scream, kick, or cry out at the soldiers who tugged us into the court room after Yuna awoke again. I badly wanted to stand next to her and try and console her, but there was a barrier between us guardians and our summoner. I knew they had done this on purpose, and before we knew it the trial began.

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><p>Key of Al Bhed phrases:<p>

(1)Father! Go far!

(2)Wait a moment!

(3)Pull up! Pull up!


	9. Christmas Intermission

Title: Spiral of Love

Pairings: Kimiko/Rikku, Auron/Tidus, Yuna/Tidus, Wakka/Lulu, Kimiko/Yuna

Summary: Kimiko is the daughter or Sir Auron and a guardian of Lady Yuna…love is not that hard to come by in a group of eccentric people, but is the one she loves going to respond to her advances?

Warnings: None in this intermission chapter. Just really cute stuff.

Disclaimer: If I owned them do you really think I would be writing about them?

Notes: Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! Happy whatever you all may celebrate! As I said, I would do a little intermission chapter, and a Christmas one seemed like a spectacular thing to do! Of course, it's going to be relatively shorter than every other chapter, but I promise the next one is coming underway with a lot of twists and turns to make your head spin. So here's some family fluff. Mainly Tidus, Kimi, and Auron but we also get a glimpse of what I think life in Zanarkand is like. If only I could actually live in such a place! Ugh, rambling.

Also: Kimi and Tidus are kids at this time, so think of it as a special flashback chapter. I haven't set up the ages of when Kimi lived with her mom, then her dad, then Yuna and the others but she's relatively small and highly impressionable. Just a head's up. Enjoy.

Thanks to: My original beta reader: Exxal! And to all of you lovely readers!

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><p>Intermission! Christmas Time with a Zanarkadian!<p>

Let it be known that no one can rock the Christmas season like a person from Zanarkand. With all of the glitz and glamour of the wondrous city it's no wonder that the children run around high and low shouting with glee over their favorite holiday season. Kimiko and Tidus were not exempt from doing this—not even a little bit. Auron had them dressed early in the mornings after a well cooked breakfast, taking them to an area where strategically placed snow littered the streets of the city so that they could enjoy having their little snow war with one another.

That didn't mean Auron was exempt from their little wars either. Kimi and Tidus would figure out that they were running low on ammo, both getting particularly lazy with their throws and would call a temporary truce in which they would start pelting their father figure with the rest of ammunition they had.

"Rotten brats." He would say to them as he would lean down to pick up a batch of the white substance and with such finesse he would manipulate it into a ball, and then start throwing it at the first opponent he would see. This time around, it was his own flesh and blood, and as the snowball made contact with his daughter's head, Tidus would cackle loudly and Auron could only chuckle at their antics.

Kimiko huffed in response, shaking off the snow the covered her head before leaning down to make more snowballs. Instead of throwing it at her father, she threw it at Tidus—their truce now a distant memory after he had offended her with his laughter. It hit him right in the mouth, the boy swallowed some of the snow and made a small battle cry that made the poor girl duck and dive into her broken snow fort while he tried to throw the rest of the ammunition he had.

"You'll never take me alive!" She cried as another snowball whizzed past her head and her father shook his head. How they had even coerced him to take them outside for this was anybody's guess, but he was glad they were enjoying themselves. Too be so young, full of life, and incredibly happy had also made him feel very pleased with himself. Maybe there was something more to this little parenting thing than he had expected.

However, as that thought finished processing, another snowball hit him courtesy of Tidus. He figured that was more than enough and started barreling down on the children. Both of them started to run away, shrieking with laughter and unbeknownst to himself, Auron had laughed a little bit as well. He muttered some more about crazy kids and their antics, getting an old man like himself caught up in a snowball fight, but he said so without any malice whatsoever.

Another half hour rolled by as the three of them frolicked in the snow. Tidus and Kimiko grew tired of the snowball fight, stating that no one was a winner, and then promptly plopped down directly across from one another; feet touching one another's and then began to make snow angels. They waved their arms frantically in an attempt to outdo one another, but they both miraculously finished at the same time. Once they got up to check their work, they leaned against each other and laughed heartily.

"Look dad! They look pretty good!" Kimiko stated, waving him over as he ended up sitting down on a nearby bench. He sighed as he got up and moved over to them, eyeing their work and ruffled their hair. He didn't have to say anything as both the children were quite happy with their work and then moved along to create a snowman. It was the last thing they had to do before running amok inside yet the house or down the street at a diner later on.

Between the two of them, Kimiko and Tidus were able to roll three big snowballs one after the other, but they had to ask Auron for his awesome adult strength in order to life them so they could be stacked on top of each other. "I'm getting too old for this." He said to them as they squealed and laughed some more. Once his job was done, then shooed him away so they could continue their work of adorning the snowman. They poked and prodded it with everything they had, making alterations here and there so he could have a face, and then putting twigs and rocks onto him to dress him nicely.

"He looks cold." Tidus said, leaning onto Kimiko and trying to figure out what else they should leave him with.

Kimiko tilted her head this way and that, trying to get a good angle on the snowman. "Hm, I guess. How about we just give him some gloves? That'll keep him warm enough. My hands are always much colder than the rest of me!" Tidus nodded and offered the gloves that were on his hands. They both dressed the snowman up; pleased with themselves as to how he turned out and then waved Auron over again to check their progress.

"He looks happy." Auron stated as the two children bounced around happily. They felt as if they had done a good deed and as they clasped a hand in each of Auron's, they starting tugging at him to start walking. "Hm? What is it that the two of you want to do now?"

"Eat! Eat!" They exclaimed simultaneously. They both bounced around and tugged on his hands before dragging him away from their snow creation and down the road to their favorite diner. Both children had thoughts of hot chocolate and a sandwich or two, not to mention a tasty dessert afterward, seeing as they were hard at work playing the snow and felt they deserved a treat. Auron purposely walked slowly so the kids would try and drag him even more, wanting to see just how eager they were in order to get to the restaurant.

Several neighbors passed by, commenting on what a cute little family they were, but the children paid no heed to their words. They smiled and waved, tugging furiously on Auron's hands so they could reach the diner in a matter of moments. Once they reached their destination, they promptly let go of his hands and raced through the doorway. A waitress merely pointed to an open booth and forgetting their guardian completely, they climbed into the booth, facing one another as if they were the only ones to sit there.

Auron shook his head and chuckled, walking in front of their booth just as the waitress moved there as well. "I suppose there is no seat for an old man like me?" The waitress giggled, covering her mouth and looked between the two kids.

"Mm. You get to choose! Is it the most awesomest girl in the world, or him?" Kimiko pointed to herself first and then to Tidus, Auron pretended to be surprised by her words. He tapped a finger to his chin and then grinned at Tidus, motioning for him to scoot over and telling his daughter that sometimes he just had to stick with the kid. She stuck her tongue out in response before she and Tidus started laughing again. There was no harm done, and the waitress began taking down their orders.

Apparently, the children already knew what it is they wanted and Auron asked for a coffee as they had their meal. With a smile, the waitress turned away and walked to the chef while Tidus and Kimi ended up playing mini Blitzball with a napkin at the table. Kimi was the goal post at first, using her fingers to mimic the goal post, Tidus crumbled the napkin into a paper ball and used one of his own fingers to shoot it into the goal. He had to try three times before he could actually get it through and Auron mumbled a few plays that the boy seemed to know.

Kimi pouted once he got the miniature blitzball through the goal and onto her lap. "You can't help him cheat!" She looked and Auron and crossed her arms.

"I did not. He knew those plays by heart; I was just giving him an extra boost. It's your turn anyway; I will help you just as much as I did him." Kimi narrowed her eyes and leaned close to see if he was lying or not. Seeing that the old man didn't flinch, she had no choice but to trust him.

"Alright. I'll take your word for it." She took the miniature blitzball from her lap and nodded to Tidus. "My turn!" He mimicked what she had done earlier and Auron announced one play before Kimi flicked the blitzball straight at Tidus' nose. It hit him right off the bat and the two of them burst into laughter once again.

"Kimi…" Auron said lowly, rubbing the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

"Accident." She replied innocently as she and Tidus erupted into more laughter and decided to stop their little game.

Just then, the waitress arrived with their orders and placed them right before them. Tidus and Kimi smiled at each other before chowing down. Auron sipped at his coffee, amused by the fact that they were eating fast, and would every so often warn them to slow down so that they wouldn't choke. However, his words went unheeded as the two of them raced to eat their food and drink their hot chocolate. For whatever reason, both of them were in quite the challenging mood and Auron quirked an eyebrow in confusion as to why.

He never voiced his thoughts as they finished their plates with vigor and then pleaded with him so that they could have a snack. Auron wanted to state that the hot chocolate was more than enough sugar for the both of them, but the looks they gave him made him sigh. He just couldn't win with those puppy dog eyes that they were giving him. He ordered a piece of cake for them to share and they perked up. Exclaiming that he was the best, they bounced around in their seats before he instructed them to stop.

After the children finished the dessert and Auron had a second cup of coffee, they paid their dues and left the restaurant. Both Kimi and Tidus clasped their hands in Auron's again, and he knew better than to shake free of their hold. This time they walked slowly back to their housing complex, taking in the sights of the city that seemed so close and yet was also a bit far. If they took a shuttle, they would reach the center, but neither child held any desire to go out and play over there today. Besides, most people would be inside with their families and so most of the shops would be closed.

As they walked, Auron felt a tug on his left side and looked down at his daughter. She was staring in amazement at the city lights and Tidus' gaze followed her own. They let go of Auron's hands and ran up to one of the banisters at each sides of the road, and commented on how pretty it looked form where they were. Leaning against each other like brother and sister again, they smiled collectively and sighed.

"There might be fireworks tonight. We'll watch them from the deck." Both children's faces lit up and they ran back to Auron, eager to get back home so they could change into pajamas and wear their coats over them. They wanted it to be night so much right now, especially since they would be able to open their presents once it was completely dark. Their tradition was to wait for midnight and open half of their presents then, and once they went to sleep to open the other half in the morning. However, they would just like to stay awake for the fireworks that year and open their presents the following morning.

With a spring in each of their steps, Tidus and Kimi pulled onto Auron, rushing again back home. It truly was a beautiful Christmas.


	10. Chapter 9

Title: Spiral of Love

Pairings: Kimiko/Rikku, Auron/Tidus, Yuna/Tidus, Wakka/Lulu, Kimiko/Yuna

Summary: Kimiko is the daughter or Sir Auron and a guardian of Lady Yuna…love is not that hard to come by in a group of eccentric people, but is the one she loves going to respond to her advances?

Warnings: More religious propaganda, death…death _everywhere_, Seymour being a dick, OC being sarcastic and scared, general fuckery as per the plot of FFX, stuff that didn't happen but I thought it was cool enough to put in, you know the usual schtick.

Disclaimer: If I owned them do you really think I would be writing about them?

Notes: Guys, I don't really like Seymour but he's a great villain. I especially hate all of the times you have to try and kill him, BUT he's still a great villain and thus one of the reasons this game is my favorite of the Final Fantasy franchise. Also, I'm quite impressed with myself at Kimi's development. I dunno, I've just got some pride and I'm rambling. Onto the show! Enjoy~

Thanks to: My original beta reader: Exxal! And to all of you lovely readers!

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><p>Chapter Nine<p>

"The High Court of Yevon is now in session." Collectively, we raised our heads to look up at Maester Kelk Ronso. The only Ronso I had ever known was Kimahri and I assumed that every Ronso was quiet and relatively strong. This Maester made me feel no different, but I had a feeling that he wasn't aware of everything that was going down in Bevelle. Once upon a time, my father told me that Bevelle has secrets, so many that they had all spiraled out of control and it's only with a huge bandage covering the biggest of them all that stops the general populace from knowing everything or anything really.

He addressed Yuna, but our entire group squared our shoulders as we looked upon him, waiting for the questions that were to be asked and hoping that he would take into account our answers. We all realized that we would not have the upper hand in this court as Maester Mika, Maester Seymour, and Maester Kinoc were all standing around to stare down at us during the trial. I grit my teeth as Seymour smiled down at me, making my blood boil to new and unparalleled heights. The urge to punch him right in his smug mouth was tantamount, and so I had to look only at Maester Kelk lest I do something incredibly stupid.

As he listed the two crimes that we were to be punished for, I wanted to scream at him that it was not Yuna who was at fault for Maester Seymour's death, but that it was I. I had pulled the trigger that took his life, and at first I felt so guilty, only to see his true face and wished that I could pull the trigger again and again. I would rather pay for that crime alone than have Yuna and the others suffer even if they had a part to stop him. I was the one that really killed him.

I didn't realize that my hands were shaking—clasped into tight fists, until Rikku took my hand in hers and shook her head. When Maester Kelk explained that we conspired with the Al Bhed, Rikku's hand grew taut in my own and I laced our fingers together. Even if we explained that it was the Guado who struck deadly blows first, we understood that we would still be held accountable because of the fact that we were there and fought against them to protect the Al Bhed. They would rather shed the blood of those who didn't agree with their teachings—even though they did not follow them either—than sit down to negotiate with them.

There was a bitter taste in my mouth as I realized that the entirety of the Yevon faith was a sham, even before any of the Maesters had convinced me. The very faith that people were supposed to believe in was a farce and the people behind it disgust me more than anything.

"Your Grace…" I watched Yuna as Rikku held my hand, trying to explain her convictions and justify all of our actions. "…the real traitor is Maester Seymour. He killed his father Jyscal with his own hands!" The Maester had not believed her story until the blue haired freak nonchalantly agreed. It didn't matter to him that he killed someone who had raised him! I unintentionally moved up some, and Rikku jerked me back, shaking her head as she held onto my hand tight.

"Maester Seymour…is already dead!" With Yuna's revelation, none of the Maesters seemed particularly surprised at these turn events, which made me feel even more uneasy. Lulu explained that Yuna was only doing her job as a summoner, but even as she explained it, I realized that it did not make any difference to what the Maesters were going to tell us.

"Send the unsent to where they belong..?" Maester Mika had taken the place of Maester Kelk and chuckled down at us. My unease grew with every passing second and suddenly Maester Mika's body was engulfed in pyreflies. Our group gasped and I could feel Rikku's hand go slack in mine. I grasped it tighter, she was the only link I had right now and if I lost her this second I was going to be a goner—I probably would have tried to launch myself at any of the Maesters if I could have. "You would have to send me too…"

The Maesters agreed that death is eternal and absolute; the one thing that was suitable in order to help guide Spira through its trials and tribulations. The only things that were constant in Spira were Sin and death, and they made a point to explain that even though the deaths of summoners were not in vain, the rebirth of that creature was never-ending. They were explaining the truth of our world, the truth that no matter what lies they told to the general populace, we would never be free from Sin and would eternally be stuck with Sin and death. Spira would never know true happiness no matter what.

Yuna tried to keep her voice calm, even, and under control, but it would still break as she spoke to them. She tried to voice her opinions, tried to explain that there must be some kind of way to help Spira; we all wanted hope…but the Maesters were explaining to us that there was no true hope. The frustration was only building by their words and I wanted so much to go up to Yuna and shield her away from what they were saying. However, I was being grounded by Rikku's hands that were in mine, and the tug and pull from the two of us reminded me that I had open my ears and listen…that we all had to listen.

"Yevon is embodied by an unchanging continuity, summoner." Yuna sobbed as she stood, wanting to believe in something—anything else. "Those who question these truths—they are traitors!" Yuna sobbed out again, but we knew that this was the end of our trial and that there was nothing we could do. We would be sentenced, and executed for the "crimes" we committed while the Maesters of Yevon did what they want with Spira.

Several hours later, we found ourselves in different cells—separated two by two—and Maester Seymour had given us each a look to taunt us to try and break free. The cells felt more like cages for wild animals beneath the monstrous city of Bevelle, and I wondered just who or what was held captive in them once before. There were so many thoughts rushing through my mind that I had to sit at one corner and pick at the metal bar of the cage, waiting for my mind to just shut up and get over it already. I was growing with a headache and the only company I had in my cell—which was the highest cage above a thick bridge in the middle of a towered room—was Lulu. She didn't pace herself inside of the damned cage; instead she stood there like a defiant rock waiting through the eye of the storm. Her countenance was enough to cheer me up for a bit, but then I could hear the racket down below.

My eyes fluttered closed as I steeled myself to listen to what was happening, a sigh escaped my lips as soon as I realized it was Tidus. Who was he with, and why hadn't they punched him to shut him up? I could hear him banging against the bars and calling out to the guards to set us free. That was definitely not going to happen, especially with the way he was acting. I opened my eyes again just as Lulu leaned over on the other side of the cage to look down below. She shook her head and sighed just as I had and muttered, "He really has too much energy."

"He's always been that way. Some things really never change."

Lulu turned to smile at me softly. "You can be just as loud as he is when you want to. That hasn't changed either, I assume." I stuck my tongue out at her as well as pulled down a corner of the skin near my eyeball. She only chuckled and shook her head, clearly didn't know what she should do with me.

Thanks to the uplift to my mood, I pushed myself off of the floor from the cage. I could hear the metal beneath my feet creak slightly from the shift in pressure, but I didn't think it was alarming. It wasn't a terrifically loud sound—only I could hear it, but it still made me stop in my tracks for just a moment. When I felt that nothing else was going to happen did I make a move towards Lulu so that I could peer at the bridge near where we were suspended. My eyes narrowed as Seymour wandered through a machinated door that was the only source of an entrance or exit. He swaggered in with an undeniable hint of amusement and I gripped two of the metal bars, clenching my hands into fists.

My blood boiled as he stopped right underneath the suspended cage that held my father and Tidus. The idiot was still holding onto the bars and screaming as if his life depended on it while Seymour merely chuckled. From where Lulu and I were located, we could only hear what they were talking about thanks to Seymour's sonorous voice that seemed to echo in the chamber.

"Your sentence has been decided." I barely noticed that Kinoc was beside Seymour, seeing as the half Guado held everyone's attention anyway. However, the second he spoke, his voice also echoed and I held my breath. So our execution was already decided? My pulse began to quicken as we waited for either Kinoc or Seymour to explain further, but the freak looked up to the cage I shared with Lulu and grinned at me before turning on his heels and leaving Kinoc behind. He wandered through the same door which he entered, his robes sweeping through the bridge and his countenance making me enraged by the very second. I was glad for him to be gone, and if only I still held my weapons could I have shot him again.

Before I knew it, Kinoc had thrown up his hands and our cage gave a violent start. My knees buckled at the cage began swinging this way and that, and Lulu began gripping the bars just like I had. We glanced over at one another as the chains above the cage started to unravel quickly, and then the cage began to plunge downward. There wasn't any time to scream as we held on for dear life, and just as abrupt as we began spiraling downward, the cage came to a sudden stop. I shuddered and breathed out shakily, eyes opened wide as I slowly let go of the bars and sank down on the cold floor of the cell.

Our cell was now located right in front of the bridge where Kinoc was standing. I continued to take in deep breaths as one of my hands clasped right onto my beating heart. Lulu moved away from the bars as well, leaning next to me to pat my head in a soothing motion. She mumbled so only I could hear, "Cruel and unjust…" I had a vague fear of our cage plunging into the unknown, bottomless pit beneath where we were suspended. The bridge was also suspended, but due to machinated doors and mechanics that made up the city of Bevelle, it wouldn't fall unless someone actively tried to mess with the gears that held it together. However, our cages must be different than the bridge due to what Lulu and I had experienced.

Two Bevelle guards left Kinoc's side and approached the cell. One held the keys while the other was merely sporting one of the forbidden guns that many others held during the wedding. He poised it in front of him; if he decided to shoot right then and there he would have killed me instantly. I narrowed my eyes as the keys jingled in the other guard's hand. He opened the cell and moved to stand beside it, motioning for Lulu and I to leave it. I didn't want to get up, but the guard with the gun cocked the gun at me and I could see that he wasn't going to hesitate to pull the trigger.

Lulu patted my head once more before walking away and out of the cell. Slowly, I rose onto my feet and followed her. The cell door was closed just as I had exited, and I could hear the chains holding the top of it begin to move. So they were going to transport it back up high while they went to retrieve all of us from our captivity. I didn't once turn to look back at it as the chains continued to shriek as the cage was suspended at the top again. Kinoc watched it before smiling at both me and Lulu like the creep that he is.

"You two are the first ones. Follow me." Kinoc began to waddle down the bridge and both Lulu and I were nudged in the back by the two soldiers. I had a mind to turn around and glare at them but due to their persistence I had no choice but to continue onward.

"Kimi! Lulu!" Just as we reached the sliding door, I smiled to myself as I heard Tidus and Rikku shout in unison. I desperately wanted to look up at them, but there was no time as both Lulu and I were pushed through the door. However, I knew that Lulu inclined her head slightly as we walked so that they would know we had heard them.

Once through the door, Lulu and I walked side by side as prisoners. Kinoc was leading the front while the two guards kept their guns poised at our backs. The dimly lit corridor felt much longer this time with its ghastly tapestries and moving portraits staring down at us accusingly. As we took several sharp turns before finally finding another sliding door-it was solid black just like the one to our cell; I raised an eyebrow wondering what could be in store for us, but as Kinoc turned, he only pointed at Lulu.

"You are to come through here. Gentlemen, take her." I opened my mouth to speak, confused as to why they were splitting us up yet again. Were we to be executed one by one? Without anyone to see us or hear us? Instinctively, I tried to reach out and grab Lulu but Kinoc took my wrist and tugged hard. "We have something special for you. Orders from Maester Seymour."

My blood ran cold and I swallowed thickly. Shit, I thought to myself, what am I going to do now? Lulu carried herself with dignity as she waltzed through the doors but not before she gave me a slight smile. I truly thought it was going to be the last time I ever saw her, and I choked on every word I wanted to say to her, and then she was gone.

Kinoc tugged my wrist hard again-urging me to walk again, and I nearly smacked right into him. I was able to stop myself but as I did so, one of my ankles twisted the wrong way and I hissed. It wasn't painful, just s bit of a shock to my system. I knew that if I walked it off, I would be fine. However, if Kinoc heard me, he said nothing nor did he look at me, and continued holding me as we walked through the corridor and into a new and unfamiliar area.

It wasn't a new corridor at all; instead I was brought into a room that seemed to mirror any of the Cloisters before we sent Yuna into the Chamber. There were glyphs all around, shining down at us-located on every single wall, on the ceiling, and when I looked down and gasped, there was another one right beneath our feet that took up the entire floor.

"What..?" I breathed out as Kinoc released my wrist.

He turned to look at me and chuckled, waving an arm in a sweeping gesture around the room he stated, "The entrance to your penitence."

I looked up at him with alarm; a few of the glyphs began to glow from the walls, signaling some kind of change within the room. Kinoc recited a prayer that I could barely make the words out of and soon enough all o the glyphs began to shimmer brightly like the ones before. Turning and spinning around, I watched as every single one shined and my heart began to beat hard within my chest.

"W-What's going on?!" I exclaimed, just as every one of the glyphs lit. By the time my shriek echoed loudly throughout the room, a light erupted from below me as the final glyph lit. I was in the center of it! As I tried to move away from the shining light and run toward Kinoc as his prayer grew with volume, I smacked right into an invisible barrier!

"No! Stop!" I banged against the barrier, tried to take my nails against it, and when neither of those worked I kicked and tried to ram my body into it. None of those methods worked as the glyph glowed more beneath my feet and started to morph and transform into something else. I might have cried, I might have pleaded for help, but my eyes never left the shimmering glyph as it turned itself to a jelly-like substance.

I don't know when I began to sink, only that it felt like I was stuck inside of quicksand. The jelly was the same light color of green as the glyphs and continued to suck me in. Even as I thrashed about wildly-still trying to escape-I could do nothing really but let myself be pulled in. Once my lower body was completely immersed, Kinoc chuckled and started to walk through the door on the opposite side. Several profanities left my mouth as my torso made it through the jelly, and that was when I realized it numbing my body completely.

With another gasp, I closed my eyes as my entire body was pulled through the jelly.

Somehow, I ended up dreaming. My body felt like it was floating downward through water, but I was not drowning in the slightest. My vision within the dream wasn't bleary but I could only see hazy shadows of people floating down with me. I realized they were my companions and so I tried to swim up to them, turning my body upright for I was floating down gently on my back, and tried to meet up with them.

My dream mirrored what happened with me and the floor glyph because no matter how hard I tried to fight, I could not make it to my friends. Just when I had given up all hope-for not even my dreams could save me-a voice called out to me reminding me of a mother speaking softly to a frightened child.

"You are not alone. Do not be afraid." Lithe arms wrapped around my neck, pulling me close into someone's body. My eyes had closed again and so I was not able to see them, only feel them. I relaxed in the embrace and I could feel that person smile with their every being. "It's time to wake up now. I'll be right with you here to guide you." I didn't want to wake; I felt safe and content and the woman laughed in my ear. "I know. But who will save Yuna? Rikku? Tidus?"

I gasped and opened my eyes, finding myself lying on my back completely with my arms splayed out on either side of me. I took a deep breath before I sat up and looked at my surroundings. "What the..." One of the first things I noticed was that there were pyreflies everywhere. Not a single space within the area did not have a pyrefly or two floating about. It kind of reminded me of the Farplane, and as I thought about that goosebumps rose on the flesh of my arms.

Rubbing at my arms so that I could calm myself down, I got up from the floor and took my surroundings in a little more. I was in a new room-a circular one at that; the walls were the color of dried blood and scratches of the Spiran language were etched into them-clearly done by human fingernails. I walked up to one of them, dragging my hand across the sentence pleading for someone to either save them or kill them. I bit my lip—saddened and angry for this person's demise. Then I felt a pang of desperation for myself; I was not going to be trapped in here!

I turned to look around for an exit, seeing a semi-circular patch against one of the walls. It clearly stood out from the others with its green and brown tones, and its carvings reminded me of miniature tree roots. I slid my hand across this as well, the roots lighting up brightly from where my palms touched them.

"Amazing..," I breathed out. After my hand managed to get near where the patch seemed to have an indentation, I could see that some of the lights weren't just for show. Some of them were part of the alphabet. Slowly, I drifted both of my palms throughout the patch to see what it could say. I desperately hoped that it was a way for me to leave the room and not rot from the inside.

I don't know how much more time passed before I figured out the message. However, once I recognized what it said I couldn't help but laugh. Of course, the Hymn of the Fayth would be my ticket out of here. But what if I didn't have enough faith in order to believe what I was singing?

"Figures." I huffed and moved away from the patch in order to sit in the middle of the room. Looking around at the depressing room, I felt like I was once again trapped in a cage with no way out. This time, I didn't even really have company except for the pyreflies floating about. Huffing again, I brought my knees to my chest and put my face on my knees.

Softly, and without looking up at the door, I began to sing the Song of Prayer that I had learned from both my father and my mother. I did not have the most talented of voices, but I was able to carry the tune over. At least the song gave me some comfort as I sat there with my face pressed to my knees, no longer feeling helpless.

"_Ieyui _

_Nobomeno _

_Renmiri _

_Yojuyogo _

_Hasatekanae _

_Kutamae"_

There was a shift in the room; the air grew warm and for a moment I could suddenly feel the room itself. I suppressed the urge to gasp as I lifted my head slowly. The scene splayed out in my mind would have made anyone disbelieve. The pyreflies had simultaneously stopped moving altogether, as if they were waiting for something and that was when I repeated the song, my voice growing louder, as if I had finally lost all of my self-consciousness and went for broke. I couldn't hide my amazement from what I was seeing and so I stood as I continued to sing.

The pyreflies which stilled once my song stopped began moving again, only this time they were moving in rhythm with my version of the Hymn. Some of them floated closer, basking me in an otherworldly glow and I giggled. There was an ecstatic, bubbly feeling rising within my chest as they drifted towards and around me. I didn't dare stop my singing; continually repeating the words so that my voice grew louder and started to echo within the walls, I barely had time to think about anything else. And that was when I heard it—a chorus of voices seemingly joining in with mine.

At first, there was a sliver of panic welling in my breast and threatening to take over the happy feeling, but it dissipated just as quick as it was there. I had thought I was completely alone, save for the pyreflies, and yet again I was completely thrown off track as the pyreflies began to transform into the ethereal bodies of their persons. There were seven of them in total, and of them felt like more than just ordinary citizens. One of which was the Fayth for the Aeon Valefor, and as we all sang together I could see her smiling brightly at me.

The song reached a crescendo once the pyreflies erupted into these magical people, and at once I figured out that they were all Fayth. Yuna must have met with each and every one of them on one occasion or another. However, that thought reached a crashing halt when I considered how many Aeons she has within the repertoire. Some of these Fayth we had yet to come across, but they still came to my aid. How and why did they..?

Once everyone had stopped singing, they looked at me expectantly. Suddenly, I felt self-conscious all over again, but I looked over at Valefor and she merely nodded at me. Hesitantly, I slowly spun around and nodded at everyone around me, the circle feeling a little claustrophobic even if they were all a good distance away from me.

"Thank you…everyone." I had no idea what else to say, and so I let my gaze wander down to my fidgeting hands. I wished that I would stop being so nervous, and yet I couldn't help myself.

"So she is the one that will help the Dream to let us rest again." I blinked up, staring intently at the seemingly youngest Fayth within the group, his face obscured by the hood of his jacket. He reminded me so much of Tidus when we were younger, and I could not explain why. He just felt very familiar, and without a thought I stepped a little closer to him.

"The Dream? Rest?" I asked him.

"We are tired; incredibly so. There is only a wish to rest now, and with your help, the help of the Dream, and all of your companions…we believe that we can achieve it." I continued to blink as I whirled around to face another Fayth. Another female like Valefor, but her expression was chilled and incredibly dignified. She reminded me so much of ice—she must be Shiva's Fayth.

"What? I don't quite understand what you're talking about. What's this dream and why can't you guys rest?" I fidgeted some more, tugging at a few of my fingers in my confusion.

"The same reason you are all on a journey and obtaining power from us; Sin is destroying this world more than ever before. It—he wants to be stopped; another Dream that we had called for and could partially clear his task before we had to summon someone else. He lies and waits for this other Dream to help him end the pain and suffering, just as you and the others expect to do." I whirled around again, gaze latching onto a male profile this time. His face was youthful and he smiled at me as he talked with a booming voice. He was like fire, more than likely he was the Fayth of Ifrit.

I shook my head and closed my eyes, a headache was welling up within my mind and I was suddenly very weary. Being in the presence of the Fayth was unnerving, amazing, and incredibly tiring. They were all trying to explain some nonsense or other about Dreams, Sin, and the benefit of Spira which was tied to their need to finally be put to rest. I always thought that Fayth stayed where they were and never seemed to move, but apparently I had thought wrong. They managed to seek me out underneath the city of Bevelle with all of its secret passages and disturbing leaders.

With a gasp, I opened my eyes again and they flitted over to the door that I had previously tried to open. It hummed with energy and glowed with a pure white light that was not there before. The Fayth parted their circle in order to let me drift over to the door. My right hand shot out to touch it, and I could feel the energy moving through it like a conduit. My hand glowed along with the door through my sense of touch, and it thrilled me like no other. After another moment of unabashed wonder, I turned slightly to look at the Fayth standing in a half circle.

"I can't guarantee that I understand anything about what you're going on about, but if it's about dealing Sin and taking him head on…we're doing our best." My hand clasped into a fist, and I brought it to my chest, right above my heart. "Everyone, especially our summoner, plans to defeat Sin so that Spira and all of its citizens will be safe. We still have a long journey ahead of us and although it's frightening, I'm sure we're going to continue onward. I'm guessing that this is your blessing to us to keep on going with everything that we have, correct?" The Fayth didn't answer me, they let me continue speaking.

A small smile passed over my lips. "On behalf of my group, I thank all of you for your support. I hope we don't let you down." I closed my eyes again and bowed low out of reverence and respect for every single one of them.

The air in the room shifted yet again, and I looked up to see that the Fayth exploded into pyreflies. Somehow, I felt that there were more than before and I watched them dance across my vision for a little while longer. I was still very unsure with what they wanted, with what they were trying to ask of me, but if it came down to defeating Sin then I'm sure everyone was still going to give a hundred and ten percent. We had come so far to give it up now. Of course, I wanted to give it up when I thought about all of the risks we had to take, but if the Fayth were counting on us just like the rest of Spira…

Turning around, I pushed my hand onto the glowing door and it gave way. As if it wasn't opened in a thousand years, it creaked with effort and I had to use some of my strength so that it would budge even further. Once I could wriggle through it, I wasted no time in leaving the depressing chamber, but not without one more look back. There were no pyreflies lingering about, and certainly the room felt even stuffier than before. It was as if no one had even been there with me, and even if I wanted to pass it all off as just a trick of the mind, I couldn't do that one bit.

Snorting as I left the room and wandered onto the corridor, I could only imagine everyone's faces when I told them what had happened to me. I turned this way and that, trying to gauge which way I should probably go. However, I didn't have to put much effort into it as miniature blue flames suddenly popped up and flickered down one of the paths. I looked around again and whispered a small thank you. With a gentle smile, I followed the burning cerulean flames through several twists and turns until I found myself in front of a large staircase that must breach the surface.

After my eyes trailed up the staircase and I breathed out, I turned around to see that blue flames had vanished into nothingness. There was no reason for me to be skeptical that the Fayth had undoubtedly helped me get this far, and with a rush of affection for the persons whom I barely knew and grew to praise as mystical beings, I started up the staircase.

A rush of air greeted me after many painstaking minutes of me climbing the ridiculously high staircase. I glared down below at the offending steps, suddenly feeling like I had reached some high point in heaven rather than the outside. I panted as I bent my body forwards and placed my hands on my legs. I was a little out of breath because at first I tried to walk, then run, and then walk quickly up the stairs. Luckily, I had only slipped once or twice and since no one was able to see me, I was not thoroughly embarrassed. However, I was just a little bit tired.

With a sigh of relief, I reached the top of the staircase and laughed wholeheartedly when I realized that I had managed to get myself to one of the bridges near where the wedding had taken place. It felt like it was a long time ago given that everything that had happened even if it was only a few hours or perhaps a day ago. I had no idea how long I had stayed locked up in that chamber until I began singing, and I really didn't want to know. The only thing I cared about now was trying to figure out if the rest of my companions were safe or not.

Stepping through another of the thousand doors located within Bevelle, I was greeted with a gust of wind and smiled. It felt good to breathe actual air and not the musky scent of the depths of the city. There was a cool breeze instead of the heat that channeled through the corridors, and I continued to take deep breaths as I walked out into the sunlight. I was free again and it felt absolutely wonderful. Turning my head this way and that, I tried to see if there was anyone around me. When I figured that I was definitely alone, I laughed again, this time holding my arms out and spinning a few times just to remind myself of just how I free I was. Once I was sufficiently dizzy enough, I leaned against one of the pillars on the bridge and then peered over the banister to look down toward the Highbridge.

As per usual, there were citizens still wandering around like everything was peachy keen and that there wasn't an attack on the city before. Priests and other clerical people were chanting or muttering to themselves in groups or alone while soldiers were keeping an eye out for any suspicious activity going on. It was going to be difficult to get down there, but I would have to do it if I wanted to see my friends and my father ever again. I bit my lip as I narrowed my eyes, searching for the quickest and safest way that would not get me caught as I wandered down to my destination.

There was another bridge that connected with this one that barely had any guards on it. The ones that were walking around on it were also doing a poor job of checking anything as they were just gossiping amongst themselves like a gaggle of girls. Rolling my eyes at the sorry state of Bevelle, I moved away from the banister and started to make my way down to that particular bridge.

Every so often a random citizen would ask me to give them instructions on particular places in the city, but I would wave them off with some excuse. I managed to duck behind passersby as several members of the clergy or soldiers would wander past me, and try to not lock gazes with them. If I was caught now I was dead meat, and that surely wouldn't help anyone. I sighed, realizing that I was wasting precious time but I had to be extremely careful. There were just so many goddamn people walking about the city right now and I'd be damned if I got caught and went back down underneath.

I hated to think about what else was underneath Bevelle's city. I wanted to know, but I didn't at the same time, and this contradictory state of mind was really pissing me off.

Finally reaching the next bridge, I had to slow my pace and pray that none of the guards saw me. I reached the middle of the bridge as I passed a group of guards seemingly enamored by their conversation, but for some reason or other one of the turned and looked straight at me. My heart nearly bolted out of my chest as I licked my lips and continued walking.

"Hey, you!" Just as I turned around to answer him or run off, someone had taken a hold of my arm and pulled me close to them.

"Ah, there you are little lady. I've been looking for you. I hope you've gotten the new supplies that I told you about." I smiled with relief as I looked over at O'aka XXIII, the traveling merchant who had been selling many of his supplies just like Rin had done during our trip. Somehow our group had been the one to gain his attention and every time we purchased something from him, there was a slight discount in the works. Seeing him again immediately made me feel better and the guard stared at me for a long while before shaking his head and nodding off to the two of us.

Promptly turning around so that we could continue arm and arm down the bridge, O'aka managed to just keep talking nonsense until we reached the end. He scanned the area to see that there weren't any more guards around and let me go. "That was a real close one, wouldn't want one of my favorite customers to get caught and end up knee deep in more stuff." I opened my mouth to speak or to at least say a thank you, but he held up his hand and shook his head. "Not a problem. I heard you and the rest of your group had a problem. Seeing you out and about I'm guessin' you're looking for them. I'm sure you'll find them soon…Is there anything you'd like to buy?"

I giggled, knowing full well that he was going to ask for something. I realized that I no longer had my weapons on me, and with that fact I felt incredibly useless and slightly naked. Fisting my hands down to my empty holsters I looked up at him and nodded. "Two new pistols, I know you've got some new wares."

He chuckled as he threw down his pack and began rummaging inside of it. I scanned the area yet again, trying to find more guards or at least any trace of my group, but so far there was no luck for either. I sighed, hoping that the others were still safe and sound. "Aha! Here we go! State of the art and I had a feeling that you would want these, they are the only one of its kind."

My eyes widened as he handed me the twin guns, their weight pressing into my palms like two old friends. Both of them were originally silver metal, very cool to the touch, but I could tell that it packed a lot of fire power. There was god etched into the sides of them and the trigger was a lot bigger than from the previous set. I couldn't help but admire the guns and decided to check out every inch of it. Once I was done tinkering with them, I smiled at O'aka and nodded.

"I'll take them. Maybe a few potions and rounds will do me some good as well." He laughed as I handed him the gil and we continued talking for a little while longer until I felt that I should be on my way. I really had to regroup with the others and I couldn't afford dawdling anymore. O'aka understood my position and he cheered me on as I ran off towards the Highbridge.

Not five minutes later had I literally ran into Tidus as he, Wakka, and Rikku emerged from a pool of water at the sides of the Highbridge. They shook themselves off, and I watched the female blonde especially as she mirrored her actions from the first day we met. Seeing her again like that made me cough and try to look somewhere else—anywhere else would do because I could feel the slight hint of arousal running through me. The last thing I needed to think about was a wet Rikku.

I shook the thoughts from my head before Tidus practically jumped on me and pulled me into a crushing hug. "You're alright!"

I sputtered and wheezed as I tried to get out of his hold but he wouldn't budge. "I'm fine, lemme go!" He didn't relent; instead he wrapped an arm around my neck and proceeded to rub his fist onto my head. Oh, I was so going to get him for messing up my hair! I tried to punch at his stomach as he continued with the noogie, but they were ineffective. I could hear Rikku giggling at our antics while Wakka just watched on and pretended as if he wasn't laughing as well.

"Of course the two of you would find each other sooner or later." Immediately, both Tidus and I stopped what we were doing—still joined together mind you—and looked up at my father. He snorted and shook his head before poking mine and Tidus' foreheads. "What a couple of brats." I could hear Wakka and Rikku laughing and as I looked behind my father, I could tell Lulu and Yuna were amused as well. Kimahri nodded to us and I supposed that was about as much amusement we were ever going to get out of the Ronso.

"Good to see you too old man." Tidus finally released me and I couldn't help but smile. I was glad to see that everyone was alright. "So, I guess we all had some pretty wild adventures while we were down there but I don't think we can trade stories out here in the open of Bevelle. Shouldn't we head out somewhere?"

Everyone took a moment to look around at one another before Lulu spoke up. "Macalania Woods isn't very far down from here. All we need to do is get through that entrance and we'll be fine. Besides, we can walk to the Calm Lands from there as well. Our journey is still going to continue, is it not?" She looked over at Yuna, who had been shaken up by the recent turn of events, but the brunette nodded but didn't say anything. I wondered just how broken was she?

I had moved in order to go and comfort her, but a gasp from Rikku made me stop and turn to see at what she was looking at. I grit my teeth as my hands balled into fists. Seymour was coming down with two guards behind him and Kinoc's dead body being held up by one of them. I realized that the Highbridge had lost a considerable amount of citizens in the time that we were standing here before he appeared. I had a terrible feeling about this.


	11. Chapter 10

Title: Spiral of Love

Pairings: Kimiko/Rikku, Auron/Tidus, Yuna/Tidus, Wakka/Lulu, Kimiko/Yuna

Summary: Kimiko is the daughter or Sir Auron and a guardian of Lady Yuna…love is not that hard to come by in a group of eccentric people, but is the one she loves going to respond to her advances?

Warnings: Another fight with Seymour, OC being herself, fluff galore tied with some sad revelations, is that a kiss I see? An actual kiss?! Stop the presses, the love bug is here!

Disclaimer: If I owned them do you really think I would be writing about them?

Notes: Wow, I didn't think I would get past the 50,000 words mark for anything I wrote but this story made it! Now that the story has reached its climax, I'm super excited for what follows! Hehehe. Also, I have not re-read this and checked over for grammatical errors so sorry about that!

Thanks to: My original beta reader: Exxal! And to all of you lovely readers!

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><p>Chapter Ten<p>

Our little group collectively moved back an inch or two as soon as Seymour approached. My eyes flickered over to Maester Kinoc's body and a sliver of remorse coursed through me. He really should have known what he was getting into once we explained about Seymour, then again no one on the council dared to care or believe in us. Suddenly, I wondered if the other Maesters were even a part of Spira anymore. Shaking that thought out of my head, I watched as the soldier holding the corpse let it drop down to the floor like a pile of nothing and my eyes narrowed. Just how far were they willing to go to obey this guy?

Seymour smiled at each of us as Tidus and my father growled at him. He spewed some nonsense about saving Kinoc from this world and above all else from his greedy little heart. Sure, the man had the worst disposition ever, but for Seymour to actively go and kill him like he was nothing more than an insect…it just didn't sit well with any of us. Despite the way he just threw me into that portal and attended to his orders, I couldn't exactly hate Kinoc but Seymour was a completely different story.

"You're a monster!" I cried out at him, but he merely chuckled at my outburst.

"If all life were to end in Spira then all suffering would end. Wouldn't you agree?" Seymour extended his hand towards Yuna, and immediately Tidus and I stood in front of her. He was not going to get away with taking her from us again, not if we could help it. "I need you, Lady Yuna. Come along with me to Zanarkand, the lost city of the dead. I would take from you your strength—your life—and become the next Sin. I would destroy Spira in order to save it."

Reaching down, I gripped onto my pistols, ready to take him on again. From my side, Tidus moved up just a bit to look at Seymour in disbelief and shouted, "You're totally nuts!"

Before I even knew what was going on, Kimahri rushed forward with his spear and thrust it into Seymour's chest. My eyes went wide and my mouth dropped open. I didn't look back to see what the others thought, but I was definitely shocked. I knew that Kimahri was strong and had no qualms about fighting Seymour if he was going to try and hurt Yuna, but this…this was different from what I had expected. Just as quick as he attacked Seymour, the bastard chuckled once more and shook his head as if he was about to speak to a mere child. He was beginning to piss me off more and more. The hold on my pistols grew tighter than before.

I blinked for only a split second and suddenly the world around us went black. There was no Highbridge, only our group—Kimahri in front with his spear inside of the Maester's body—and Seymour himself. The bodies of Kinoc and the soldiers instantly turned into pyreflies and began to mingle to the bastard's body. We watched in horror as he convulsed, moaning and groaning in pain, he transformed into something much more different than his normal human form.

Seymour's body now became metallic—resembling a disturbing armor that took up every pore and even his hair. I was sure that nothing could probably penetrate it. Just as I gazed up at him in horror, Kimahri's stance changed and he had to fall back a little. Of course, his lance wasn't able to hurt him any longer and I wondered if we would be able to do anything about this. I gulped as Seymour's hands turned into claws which he flexed for a moment before something snaked out of his body and around him. The grotesque form resembled a dead carcass that could float about in the air, twisting around Seymour and right in front of him like a shield. It was a crisp brown color, like that of mummified flesh and had fangs and a tail to boot. It opened its maw for a second and let out a shriek before twisting again before Seymour.

"What the hell?!" I shouted as I took a step back in disbelief. This thing was anything unlike what we had encountered before. Tidus gripped onto my shoulder, urging me to clear my head even though neither of us liked what we were seeing. He shot me a quick look before turning his attention back to Seymour, his lips a thin line as he stared at him hard. We were going to have to battle this guy again, and it would definitely be much more difficult than before. He was something more than inhuman—he wasn't even an unsent anymore! He was just a monstrous entity that wouldn't give up; the whole idea left a knot in my stomach that twisted painfully. Killing him this time wouldn't hurt my conscience; this fight was more than just self-defense—it was for all of Spira.

A harsh yank brought me back to reality as I was staring at the revolting thing that was Seymour. I tried to turn around, but the grip became even tighter and I was pulled backward. "Go!" I didn't even have to think about whom was yelling at me as my father moved directly in front of me, his sword out and ready to strike. He and Kimahri were now side by side, eager to give their lives in order to protect and defend the rest of us. The Ronso too inclined his head for us to make a quick getaway, but I stood my ground until Tidus practically dragged me away.

"Lemme go! Lemme go, dammit!" I shrieked and kicked as hard as I could to get him to stop holding onto me, and he promptly dropped me onto my back. I fell onto the ground hard and I glared up at him. "Like hell I'm leaving this to them! They can suck it. I want a part of the action!" I pushed myself off the ground and didn't wait for the others to yell at me. Grabbing my pistols and cocking the safety off, I ran in between both Kimahri and my dad. They shook their heads and I swore I could hear a soft sigh come out of the Ronso for my unladylike behavior. "Oh please." I said as I rolled my eyes and heard the others join us.

Seymour chuckled, the tone completely inhuman and indefinitely crazed. "You crave death? So be it."

"You can kiss my ass! It's time for you to disappear!" One of my shots rang out before I planned on pulling the trigger which angered that mummified thing that slithered in the air. I couldn't tell what it was, but it suddenly had its sights set on me. Opening its maw, it shrieked at me before quickly making a beeline for my body. I had to duck and jump to the side to get out of its way, but it nicked me in the leg with its fangs. "Crap!" I yelled as I tried to roll away on the ground, my leg bleeding a bit.

"Kimi!" Rikku and Tidus immediately came to my rescue, standing right in front of me as I got up and patted my leg.

"Look sharp! This thing's hungry and I think I'm on the menu!" I made sure that I had enough rounds to have a few good shots in but then Rikku patted her side.

I looked at her in confusion until she opened it with one hand to reveal a bunch of grenades she created for the occasion. "If we're in a pickle then we'll be using these. Don't worry about it! You can count on me!" I shook my head, a small smile tugging at my lips but I had no time to be happy. That thing was coming after me again!

"Look alive!" Tidus shouted he slashed away at it for me as it gave a loud howl. I couldn't figure for the life of me what it was, but I knew we had to get rid of it if we wanted to stay alive.

Wakka came to our aid as the rest of our group decided to take Seymour head on, every so often I could hear his stupid remarks about how he could save this world by destroying it, and it only riled us up more. Spira was a place of love despite its adversities and problems. We wanted to save it by protecting it even though we all knew the cost of it. Someone's life was going to be the debt, and as much as we didn't want to face that reality any time soon, we knew that it would happen one day. So for him to speak as if death were a meaningless thing—it hurt, it hurt so much that it struck all of us at our very core. All of the guardians had our sights set on Yuna to protect her as much as we possibly could until the day she died.

I didn't want to give her up. I couldn't give her up.

"Haaaa!" I cried out, shooting from my pistols as I was starting to become low on bullets after a while, and that grotesque mummified being to which we found out was called Mortibody—as Seymour called out to it to heal him—was still coming after us and didn't relent. Every time we managed to wound it severely, it would return to the bastard's side and seek to be healed by using him as a source. They continued to share power as much as they could in order to wear us down, and it was starting to do the trick.

"This thing just doesn't quit!" Tidus' sword was plunged into the ground, and he huffed as he tried to regain his breath. His acrobatic moves were also wearing him down, but he wouldn't give up. None of us could give up at this point, we were all so far gone and there was nothing that was going to stop us. We were going to hold to our convictions and be strong. Or at least, that's what we told ourselves.

"Keep on fightin', ya?! We can't let 'em win over us!" I couldn't help the small laugh that bubbled out of my throat as I heard Wakka, trying to throw his Blitzball at the damned thing and striking it dead on. Again it moved closer to Seymour, draining some of his energy, and then slithered in the air and tried to chomp on us. I jumped back and grabbed Rikku's elbow, pulling her along with me and we fell to the floor together. She had been trying to mix a concoction while the rest of us were on the offensive, and if I didn't move her she was going to be a meal for that damned Mortibody.

"Phew! That was a close one!" She said to me smiling before standing up again. Her concoction was practically ready, but the rest of us still had to stall for a little more time. "Just a moment!" She called out to us as I fired a few more shots, Tidus side-stepped Mortibody, and Wakka tried to hit it against with the Blitzball. Our time was running short, and at point I had mistepped and that ugly thing was heading straight for me!

I heard them all call my name before I felt something hit me in the side, knocking me near one of the pools of water at the sides of the Highbridge. It hurt like hell, and that's when I realized I'd been the one hit out of the way with the Blitzball at the same moment a massive explosion took hold of the bridge. I had the wind knocked out of me for a few moments and laid on the floor, curled into a ball and rubbing at my side. "Bastard…" I kept muttering until Wakka's hard footsteps along with Rikku and Tidus were in my line of vision.

"Kimi!" Rikku pushed Wakka out of the way and kneeled in front of me. She also pushed my hands away from my side and pulled my shirt up. "Oh, that's gonna leave a nasty bruise." She clicked her tongue just as I could hear another explosion. I thought that it was Mortibody creating its own this time around, but I was completely wrong. Rikku's plan of blowing it up had made it drain Seymour completely and now he was vanishing!

I groaned as I sat up, my eyes fixated as Seymour's form burst into a slew of pyreflies and then mingled into Mortibody. It wasn't giving up no matter what we wanted. Rubbing at my side again, I urged myself to forget about the sore pain I felt and it was time to get back in business. Rikku, Tidus, Wakka, and I ended up joining the others in the last fight against Mortibody. We exhausted ourselves using every ounce of strength and power we had left in us until it too erupted into pyreflies. Only those didn't seem as normal as Seymour's and I had to wonder if he was truly gone.

Something told me otherwise.

Even though our fight with Seymour and his new sidekick had ended, that didn't mean we were off the hook. An onslaught of soldiers tried to attack us, and rather than fight it was time to leave. I shot at them while the others got a head start on their trek out of Bevelle, and I didn't drop my pistols to run until I was hoisted over Kimahri's shoulder. Even then I still had one of my guns' out and shot at any soldier who dared to get too close. I made sure not to aim for their vital points. Despite killing one person before, I was not about to have a taste for blood. If I could, I would never kill anyone again, but then I thought…didn't Seymour die for a second time? Was it also my fault?

My head started to throb as I thought about it, and at one point I faltered on shooting. The gun nearly fell as my torso bounced on Kimahri's shoulder. "Think not now. Leave it later." I nodded and continued shooting until we were completely out of Bevelle and I watched as they stopped trailing after us.

An hour or so later, we were back in Macalania Woods and an eerie kind of calm settled over us all. We hid ourselves in one of the Wood clearings and set up camp there for the night. My father went to go check that there was no one following us—or at least trying to come into the Woods to find us—and once he gave us the signal that the coast was clear, it was time for me to get away from camp. I had many thoughts plaguing me just as the rest of them, but at that moment I just had to get away. The unspoken words and the serious tension running through the area were stifling. Yuna left as well, but she took the road down to the lake so she could think. Kimahri went with her, but I requested that I really stayed by my lonesome. I didn't need to be watched; I was expendable. I had settled into thinking that way ever since I resigned myself into being her Guardian. I planned on throwing my life away so she wouldn't have to die. Whether or not she agreed with that was another matter entirely, but I was ready to give her my life in order to protect hers.

As Yuna and Kimahri wandered down the road to the lake, I decided to take a different path and go back to the same area as when we found Jecht's Sphere. It was just as pretty, just as tranquil, and just as empty as the lake probably was, because of that I found it to be a blissful safe haven for me. As much as I wanted to smile when I arrived—for I walked on the small but quick shining path there—I could not. Instead, I shrank down onto the ground in the same place that Jecht had, and watched the ripples of the night sky reflect onto the spring. I ended up losing track of time sitting there, trying to gather my thoughts and organize them so they no longer hurt—no longer confused me. The moment I heard soft footsteps tread into the spring, I already knew who it was.

"What are you doing here, Rikku?" I asked. It came out a little more exasperated than I had expected. Her footsteps faltered, but I didn't turn around. I suppose she thought I was a little mad at her or something because she came into my new sacred space. I neither turned her away nor encouraged her to come forth. She stood still for a few moments before coming closer to me again and sinking onto the floor next to me. From the corner of my eye, I could see that she was looking up into the spring with me before closing her eyes and then opening them again slowly.

I opened my mouth to speak again, but she beat me to it. "Wishing for a miracle. Not from Yevon, but from the Fayth. Lulu said that they wander around here…they can make things happen. It's childish and all but I really wish we could do something. You know?" She sat back and leaned while the palm of her hands pressed against the moist earth surrounding the spring. I could tell she was nervous and scared, but despite that she still came for me so that we could try and heal together. I appreciated the sentiment, but I still had no idea what I should do.

"Miracles…they don't come cheap, I think. You've got to give something in order to get something back. You'll probably have to have a big price to pay, depending on what you wished for." My voice had gone soft; an overwhelming urge to cry welled up within me. I closed my eyes tight, clamped my mouth together, and counted to five in my head before looking at the spring again. It didn't really work because my vision was blurry the second that I opened my eyes, and I couldn't focus. Before I knew it, sobs racked my body and Rikku's arms were wrapped around me, and I was crying into her chest.

She was crying too then; the wet tears hit the back of my head and soaked through my hair. Her cries were silent and restrained while mine were loud and unrefined. She was definitely much more ladylike than I had ever given her credit for. I wasn't the one to stop crying first; it was Rikku. She pulled away from me a little so that she could look at me and press her hand to my cheek. Her thumb swiped across my face, smearing the tears away while smiling sadly.

"I think…we've paid more than enough, don't you?" She asked her voice no louder than a whisper.

Rikku took that moment to lean in, her lips pressing against mine and our eyes locked before closing. It was only a soft touch of lips before we pressed a little harder, and a pool of desire began to course through me. I was sad, albeit only a little because Rikku began to fill my thoughts. Her lips were so soft and supple, and I didn't want to pull away from her even though we both knew we had to. Once we did, we both opened our eyes but the moment had yet to go away. Without any words, I leaned in this time around to kiss her. My hands snaked out to hold onto her hips and she jumped a little into me. A small giggle escaped both of us, and I nuzzled her nose with my own before my lips planted on hers.

She made a small sound, barely audible but I already figured that I liked it very much. I wondered what other kinds of sounds she could make in a split second, and my heart began to beat so fast. It was probably going to come out of my chest, and yet I could not think to stop what I was doing. Rikku opened her mouth a little just as I had let my tongue peek past my lips. It touched the tip of her bottom lip and at first she flinched back at the contact but then gave into me. I realized that I was probably her first kiss, and another shiver of desire ran through me. I wanted more of her, so much more.

I don't think she realized what she was doing to me, but just kind of went on her instincts because originally her arms had been wrapped around me and then they suddenly pulled away to just her hands tugging at my clothing. My tongue had made its way past her lips to stroke her's, and instead of jumping away I could tell that her eyes flickered open then back shut just as she leaned into me more. Her chest was pressing into mine, and I thought I was going to go mad. I had never felt like this before because we were going at such a slow pace. Usually, I was so overcome by passion that I would take my partner wholly and completely with no regard for their pace. It was usually over quick before several rounds, but with Rikku…I knew I had to hold back.

I did not want to scare her away.

Despite it being her first kiss, she warmed up to the idea relatively quick. Her tongue massaged mine and her hands started to roam from my sides to my arms, and then up to my neck where she proceeded to tease the skin. I didn't want to break for air, but we had to and once we did, we were both breathing heavy. It was slow, passionate, and tender kisses that we shared. Each one deeper than the last and delving into wanting to shred each other's clothing off before actually doing so. Rikku's hands had made it into my vest, pushing it off so that she could reveal my shoulders and then tricked me into thinking she was going to kiss my lips before pressing hers to my skin. I shivered and then giggled and she reciprocated it. One of my hands tugged at her bangs and she pressed her tongue to my shoulder now.

"That's dangerous." I told her as I pushed her away. She pouted then, about to ask me why, and I just pulled the vest back on. "I have a reputation, Rikku. It's not a very good one, and the last thing I want to do is add you to that." The look on her face was so innocent, so adorable, and yet she was the one who had initiated all of this in the first place. She kissed my hand on the airship, which felt like so long ago, and now she was the one who kissed me. And yet, despite doing the initiating, I was not going to just have her become yet another tally in my list of girls whom I've played with.

"So that's why you're so good at this. Is that why you were okay with…" Her words trailed off, but I could gather she was talking about the girls on the ship. Such a normal conversation despite the circumstances.

"Perhaps. Even so, you're different." Rikku truly was different to me. I had figured my feelings for Yuna, but then there was a whole other set now for the blonde Al Bhed. What I felt for Yuna was nothing more than a passing crush and a need to protect. I was unsure if I was going to let go of those feelings for, but right then and there the ones for Rikku had suddenly taken a turn to desire. A soft snort escaped me; there was no way I could see Yuna as a sexual being like that no matter how much I seemed to have a crush on her. Her cousin however had seeped into my pores and was getting under my skin in all the right ways. I had to be on guard so I wouldn't do anything unnecessary.

"Different?" Her head tilted and her eyes glittered with confusion. It made me smile, but I said nothing. She managed to take away my sadness in only a short amount of time. It was as if Rikku was made with a magic of her own; one that could dispel even the nastiest of feelings within my body. I didn't know what it was that made me feel that way, but I was grateful that it was because of Rikku.

My attention turned to the spring and I took a deep breath. The days of our pilgrimage had me weary, and I couldn't wait to fall asleep then. Slowly I closed my eyes and took another deep breath. I could hear a song, a woman's soft singing rang in my ear and I vaguely wondered who it was. In the darkness of my closed eyelids, there was one shining light—a figure of a woman and the feeling I got from her was warmth. She was probably a Fayth, more than likely it was Valefor whom I seemed to have an affinity for because she was the only one I had.

"Kimi?" My eyes opened wide, and a hand was pressed against my cheek. Rikku stood in front of me, bent over to me with her lips hovering only inches away from mine. She really had no idea the power she had over me now. I licked my lips before taking her hand and kissing her palm in much the same manner she did mine. This time I got to see the blush that I missed out on that night on the airship. I laughed before I meant to, and at that time I began to stand up. "Hey! Don't laugh at me!" Rikku started to poke and prod my body, and that was when I remembered that my side was sore from having the Blitzball thrown at me. I winced and she gasped before babbling nonsensical apologies.

"If you really want me to feel better, then you'll give me another kiss." I laughed and turned away from her, walking out of the spring and towards the shining path. She followed after me, tugged on my arm and made me turn around. I blinked down at her, seeing that in the light of the moon with the spring sparkling behind her, and her green swirled irises staring at me, she was more than beautiful. It almost took my breath away and I was a little embarrassed for the thought. My hand flew up to my mouth, covering it, and I could tell that I began to blush. Quickly I turned away from her and started to walk faster.

"Kimi? Hey, Kimi!" She called after me, but I didn't look at her until we reached the end of the path. In order to quiet her down, I pressed my lips to hers before placing my finger on top of her lips and shushing her. The last thing we wanted at that point was for anyone to hear her calling me, whether it be our group or soldiers from Bevelle. She nodded at me in understand, and then tangled her fingers with mine so we could walk hand in hand. I would be a liar to say I didn't like it, or that my hands didn't tingle, but those are such girly sentiments that I for one am not used to talking about.

We walked like that all the way back to camp, making sure to check if anyone was following us or not. I had half a mind to check and see if Yuna and Kimahri were still at the spring, but there was no need for that. They came back before me and Rikku, and Tidus practically launched himself at me as soon as we set foot into the camp.

"You're back!" He looked ecstatic to see me specifically which confused the hell out of me, and I had to wonder if he got himself into trouble while I was away. Rikku's hand slipped out of mine, and she clasped her hands together behind her back. We exchanged a smile before I looked back at Tidus and nodded.

"Yeah, we're back." I laughed a little and rubbed my neck. "I hope we didn't worry anyone."

My father's voice rumbled as he spoke. "It's getting late; we should get some shut eye. We have another long road ahead of us. Our next stop is the Calm Lands."

Everyone nodded and began moving to the spaces they each wanted to sleep in. Well, almost everyone moved to go to those spots. Tidus stood next to me, his hand grasping my wrist and then he tugged me close so he could whisper into my ear. "I _really_ need to talk to you. Like, right now."

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair; I was so tired and he wanted to have a chat right this second? My eyes narrowed at him. "Can't it wait till morning?" I whispered. He shook his head frantically and it made me sigh once more. "Alright, alright. You wanna sneak out or something or..?"

Tidus looked up towards where Rikku was sleeping. She decided to sleep on one of the long winding branches and then he glanced over at me. A stupid grin tugged at his lips, and although I was about to argue against the whole thing, I knew that I had no choice in the matter. "I'll race ya." He winked and let me go, already launching himself on the trunk so that he could climb.

Everyone else but me, Rikku, and Tidus were on the ground in a tent and paired off. Yuna with Kimahri, Wakka with Lulu, and of course my dad would be by his lonesome. I was surprised that Tidus wouldn't have wanted to sleep with him. I did not forget the fact that he has a crush on my old man, as weird as it was.

Gazing up at Tidus and shaking my head, I moved to follow him. "I hate you so much right now. You have no idea," I whisper-yelled at him, but he only chuckled at my statement. After about five minutes of climbing, we reached a higher point than Rikku and she blinked up at us in confusion. We wave down to her and before she could come and join us, we motioned that we needed to have a little sibling chat. She pouted up at us, but I merely pointed to my lips and winked at her. That made her blush and she looked away so she could prepare to go to bed.

I looked over at Tidus who was grinning. "Something happened. And it was good, wasn't it?" I couldn't help but laugh and punch him in the arm. "Ow! Hey, watch it with your weird manly strength!"

"You told me to follow you so you could talk to me and that was what you wanted to ask?" I leaned back against the trunk of our tree and gave him a pointed look. I wasn't mad, but more so amused that he wanted to gossip about what went down with Rikku and me.

However, I realized that was a wrong assumption on my part. Once the words flew out of my mouth, Tidus no longer smiled but instead he fidgeted in much the same manner he had when he told me about his crush. I waited till he spoke again, but I could see that he was incredibly nervous. Something must have happened in the time that I was gone, and now I really wanted to know what it was. I reached out and pressed my hand on his shoulder and smiled softly to show that I was there to support him.

He sighed before he looked directly at me and frowned. Uh oh, when he did that it was never a good sign. "Tidus?" I asked him, trying to urge him to tell me whatever was on his mind.

"Did you know that Yuna has a crush on me?" He said, biting his lip in his nervousness as if I was about to rip him a new one.

The words did leave a pang in my heart, but it wasn't as painful as I thought it would be. I looked down the trees, my eyes resting on Rikku's sleeping form and I shook my head. "That's a bit of a shock. I would think she'd like someone more mature than you." I looked away from Rikku and back to Tidus, smiling softly and swinging my legs slowly out in front of me. "It's not a big deal; I always knew that I didn't have a chance. Yuna was always someone far away from me that I couldn't really reach out to. I know that now; she's not the one for me."

Tidus blinked at me several times before leaning in close. "Who are you and what have you done with Kimi? This is not like you. That and you haven't asked me the question about my crush and stuff."

I giggled. "Pardon me; I forgot that this is about you." His eyes narrowed at me and I waved my hand dismissively. "I'm kidding. I know you still have that crush on dad, and I'm guessing Yuna kissed you because she wanted to. The problem is what are you going to do about it? Did you feel anything? Did you like it? Did you tell her that you've got the hots for someone else other than her and that she's not your type?" I kept leaning into him, making it a point to tackle all of these questions before talking about myself.

He pressed his lips together in a thin line while tapping on the bark on the tree we were sitting on. "I do still like Auron…and I told Yuna that it's difficult. I can't like her like that; I'm different and we're not compatible, but I just couldn't let her cry. You should have seen her, Kimi…she was so scared and tired and vulnerable…I just wanted to do everything I could to make her smile."

I nodded. Of course I could understand that. He and I both clicked emotionally and so we would probably do the same kinds of things. It was almost as if we were twins, he and I. "So you kissed her."

"I did."

I turned my body to lean against the trunk again; my knees were brought up so that I could wrap my arms around them and lay my chin against the top. "Did you like it? Did you hate it? Does it make your heart do that big flip thing and make you wanna forget the rest of the world?"

He snorted and I glared at him. "Is that what happened with Rikku?"

A small blush passed over my cheeks; I could feel them heat up. "I'm so not telling you. You're just making fun of me."

Tidus gave me his full attention and faced me completely. He pressed his hands against my legs and laughed. "I'm not. I'm not! I'm happy for ya really. If you get with Rikku then that's fine by me. She's cute you know."

"Don't tell me you're gonna start changing the team you play for. I'm getting a little jealous here already." He shook his head and we began to laugh in perfect synchronization. When our laughing bit was over, he and I just sat there and looked up into the night sky. Sometimes Tidus and I didn't have to talk much to fully understand each other. That was the best part of being together with him. There were just complete silences filling up the space between us and it was never uncomfortable. It was like that even when we were kids and we had our little secrets that we had from dad. Those were especially wonderful times.

"I really am happy for you. But I'm worried about Yuna, and this whole pilgrimage thing. She wants so much for the people of Spira, and it can kill her. It will—"

"Don't even go there." I sat up and pressed a finger to his lips. "We'll find a way out of this. We're all going to live happily and peacefully. We're going to find a way for Yuna to live. We have to." He nodded slowly, and then we returned to our positions of staring at empty space.

It almost felt as if the woods were watching over us, protecting us from the horrors that we had been facing for quite some time. They were silent viewers of us all unraveling, and they waited for us to pick ourselves back together. It was a little disconcerting, but at the same time this place was just so beautifully detached from the rest of Spira that it was comfortable. I wished that I didn't have to leave Macalania Woods in order to continue the pilgrimage. If we could just stop and stay here—as if the time would just stop so we could be infinitely content, then I would be content.

Of course those kinds of wishes never come true.

An hour or so later, I closed my eyes and snuggled into Tidus. I made some childish wishes of the world to stop changing and to stop being so unkind; there were also some mature wishes such as to get us through this pilgrimage and that Yuna wouldn't have to be sacrificed. I just wanted everyone to be happy; I was the same as our summoner in that regard.


	12. Chapter 11

Title: Spiral of Love

Pairings: Kimiko/Rikku, Auron/Tidus, Yuna/Tidus, Wakka/Lulu, Kimiko/Yuna

Summary: Kimiko is the daughter or Sir Auron and a guardian of Lady Yuna…love is not that hard to come by in a group of eccentric people, but is the one she loves going to respond to her advances?

Warnings: A wide open space aka the Calm Lands, OC having second thoughts, more fluffy things, more sibling-like feels, more familial feels, some more of the OC's backstory that somehow infiltrated, Lulu's backstory –well some of it anyway. All this and more. Are these even warnings anymore?

Disclaimer: If I owned them do you really think I would be writing about them?

Notes: I didn't plan any of this. It was also difficult where to leave it off because I wanted to add more, but then it would ruin the flow. I'm not particularly pleased with this chapter.

Thanks to: My original beta reader: Exxal! And to all of you lovely readers!

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><p>Chapter Eleven<p>

I woke up the following morning feeling much more refreshed than I expected. My eyes opened to the sight of brilliant sunlight shining over the tall trees of Macalania Woods. The trunks extended higher than I could ever believe and they each stretched like welcoming and inviting arms. They made me smile softly, but then the poke to my side brought me to reality. I turned my head to look at the face of Tidus who had been watching me for a few minutes and then whispered what was I was smiling about. I regarded the open air again and said, "We're alive."

Once I answered him, I sat up to look down below. Rikku was still snoring softly, curled into her side and it was just a precious sight to look at. She reminded me of when I was a little kid, and I saw my first cat. It was also curled into its side and sleeping happily. However, since it was cold and it was a harsh night, I scooped it up and brought it home with me. That was after I came back to Spira from Zanarkand, definitely before I met with Yuna, Lulu, and Wakka. I had lived with my mom back then, and everything was just so confusing. It was a rough start when I came back to Spira; I felt like I was abandoned by dad, but when I picked up the kitten and it lived with us for a monetary time…things felt a little okay.

"Everyone else is still waking up slowly. I think I'm the first one to be up and then you." Tidus took to leaning against my shoulder and looking over it. He pressed his nose against the top of my skin and then proceeded to rub it against me. I hit his head with my other hand, and he cried out about the injustice of my meanness in the morning.

"No one told you to rub your dirty nose against me." I told him drily. He gave me a bit of a shock, suddenly talking to me like that while I was occupied by my thoughts. "Come on, we should jump down and wake Rikku."

He gave me a look and then proceeded to lie down again. "You can go wake your girlfriend by yourself. You don't really need me for that kind of action." I smacked his stomach hard; the sound practically bounced off of the trees and I laughed. Tidus tried to make a grab for me, but I was already swiftly making my way down the trunk and over to Rikku. He shook his fist at me once I reached her and I stuck out my tongue to blow a raspberry. We were highly mature in the mornings.

I kneeled down next to Rikku's sleeping form; I hovered over her for a bit and brushed the hair out of her face. She really looked too cute sleeping in this manner. I drew closer, hesitating on my feelings of wanting to kiss her awake and whether or not if I should do it. The moment that I finally decided to actively kiss her to wake her, she opened her eyes and made me stop. My lips hovered right above her own and she smiled slowly before wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling me in close. Once again, Rikku made the first move and I did nothing but go along with it. As someone older and more experienced, I was fumbling around a lot more than she was.

"Good morning, Kimi." She giggled and kept her arms wrapped around my neck, while my hands pressed against the tree bark underneath us. I didn't want to crush her with my weight, or even begin to press my body against hers because I had no idea what I would do if things managed to get hot and heavy in this open area. I vowed to pull back when it came to her so that we wouldn't dive into territory that we can't come back from.

"Morning to you too; had a nice rest?" She nodded, and I pulled her up as I sat up. She unlinked her arms from my neck and we turned to look downward. Lulu, Wakka, Kimahri, and Yuna were emerging from the tents down below while my father was approaching from outside of the forest back to our camp. Apparently he had been checking if whether or not we could still move about in the daylight, but he had nothing but good tidings for us to be off again.

Tidus jumped down onto our large branch before climbing down the rest of the trees. Rikku followed shortly after, jumping out completely and landing onto the grassy floor beneath us. Tidus and I laughed as she rubbed her butt, muttering about how the ground seemed closer than it actually was. I climbed down the tree as well, jumping at the very last portion and giving a salute to Rikku. She just stuck her tongue out at me for being a show off and snatched mine and Tidus' hands so we would hurry and get a move on. She already knew our next destination and couldn't wait to see the open field of the Calm Lands.

My father chuckled along with the rest of our companions who trailed behind us. Tidus had hurriedly grabbed Yuna's hand so she joined the three of us in running out of Macalania Woods. The tranquil forest area had swiftly transformed into endless plains as we rapidly approached the Calm Lands. A slight wind caressed my face and ruffled my hair as we emerged from the woods. It tickled a bit, and I had to bite back the laughter that wanted to bubble out of my throat at random. Sometimes I get like that; I want to laugh for no apparent reason, perhaps it's because I feel a sense of freedom and the joy I get out of it just needs to escape.

We stayed there at the juncture between where the Calm Lands began and where the Macalania Woods ended. I turned around to look at the woods, a feeling of loneliness and homesickness wafted over me and I couldn't understand the feeling. There was this sense that I would never know that calming peace ever again, and it gave me a terrible sadness; it was odd to have such a feeling because I had just felt free and happy. The contradicting emotions had no place to be side by side in my body and soul.

I felt a tug at my vest, and turned back around to view the Calm Lands. Rikku was the one who was latched onto me, smiling gleefully because we reached even more open air and she was so ready to do cartwheels across it. I couldn't help but laugh at her childishness, a little envious myself because these tumultuous feelings still played about in my heart. Instead of choosing to think on them further and understand what was going on with me, I chose to move along with Rikku and head towards the cliff of where we were. It was a long fall down, and so I held her back with my hand so she wouldn't go flying off.

That was when I heard a soft sound of something falling and we turned around to see what was happening. Yuna laid in the grass on her back, taking it all in and it made me smile a little. Was she saying goodbye again or did she have a taste of freedom and was rethinking her choice? I had no idea which it was, but it could be both. Tidus helped her up, convincing her that he would be right there to help her along and to think of a way to save Spira and her. Rikku and I glanced at one another, nodded, and then returned to look at the plains. It really was a beautiful expanse of green. If I could have lived anywhere like a free spirit, this place would be it.

We all stood there for a few more minutes before wandering again. Down the road, Tidus and I found old Maechen who told us the tale of how the Calm Lands were left in this state. At the edge of the Calm Lands, almost to the bridge that separated it from Mt. Gagazet, a huge scar was left upon the earth. There was a magnificent division, jagged cliffs now left in the wake of a huge battle in which another summoner once fought against Sin and defeated it. I glanced over at Yuna who was listening to his story but keeping her eyes trained on the division. Her resolve had grown once again; she was not going to stray from her path. She had made her choice all over again, and we were here along for the ride with her for better or for worse.

After we said our goodbyes to Maechen, we started walking again while different thoughts seemed to fill our minds. I couldn't help but wonder if anyone had ever gotten lost while roaming this place and looked over to Lulu. She smiled softly as we walked slowly together lagging behind everyone else this time around. "My pilgrimages have ended here once before. I have never seen the places beyond. However, I believe this time we will go all the way. You must be ready for that, Kimi. Yuna truly will follow her heart; she knows what she must do."

"She's strong, that Yuna." I sighed, kicking up a bit of dirt then looking up into the sky. "But you know we'll find a way to protect her. We'll find a way so that her sacrifice won't be necessary. I'm sure we can do it." My eyes found their way back to Lulu's. She wasn't hopeful nor was she skeptical. Instead, she just simply stared through me, gauging whether or not I believed in myself and in my words.

I supposed once she felt like she understood everything; she chuckled and muttered a low, "I hope so."

Somewhere along the way, we each began to hum the Hymn of the Fayth. I don't know how or why it happened, but it did. One moment we were walking in peaceful silence, feeling the sun on our bodies and the soft wind trail across our faces, and the next we were humming in perfect synchronization. I no longer had grief with this song as a signature of Spira's faith in Yevon, not after the encounter with the Fayth in that chamber back in Bevelle. Instead, it gave me more hope than I could ever ask for. It filled my every pore, slipping into me like a soothing gel, and comforting me in all the right ways. I realized that I started to love the song more and more as our humming turned into actual singing. We weren't perfect singers in the least, but it was nice to come together in harmony before ending at different times. We kids ended up laughing as the song ended, and I ran up to Yuna and the others. Tidus wrapped an arm around my shoulders and squeezed. I tugged on his hair and then ruffled it in good cheer.

My father chuckled, pushing the two of us away from each other and walking in between. That only made us laugh once again, and this time we ran after him. Tidus and I tugged on his coat, reminding me of all the times we used to do so in Zanarkand, beneath the star-filled sky or before we watched the sunrise. We used to tug on his coat for every little thing, because we always had something to say or something we needed him to see. We soaked up every sight like sponges, and even still I can see the lights in Zanarkand either going out one by one or beginning to illuminate like the stars themselves. Suddenly I wished we were back in time, me and Tidus tugging on dad's coat so he could watch the scenery with us instead of watching our faces brighten in delight.

I leaned into his back; it felt very old and not as sturdy as it did when I was younger. He was so strong back then, and kind of looked the same. He never seemed to age, but was a perpetual old man in my eyes. However, back then he seemed so much stronger—invincible even. If I let him go, if I didn't lean on him like this, would he suddenly crumble and leave me alone again? The thought made me queasy, nervous, and then my hands balled into fists at the back of his coat. He stopped walking altogether and told me to breathe. He had been able to read my thoughts and gauge my feelings. He and Lulu were the same in that regard.

Wakka was behind us, leading the rest of the older folk and he pressed a hand to the top of my head. "Kimi, you alright?" His twang made me press my face even more into dad's coat, because I could feel another wave of sadness washing over me. What was wrong with me? Ever since we stepped into the Calm Lands there was this feeling of immense sadness and confusion welling up within me. It was not supposed to be here; this was a place of happiness and freedom. Why did I feel so trapped once again?

Everyone began to talk at once until Lulu shushed them instantly. "We should make it to the trade post." I didn't look at her, but she was probably motioning to where there were a few Al Bhed people who set up shop in the middle of the plains. I could hear everyone's footsteps getting further and further away while I still held onto the back of dad's coat. He didn't move an inch until their footsteps were so far away, and the whispered chatters were no longer around for me to hear.

"It's ending soon, and you're afraid. Your mother clung onto me in the same way when I told her I was taking my leave. She was happy that the Calm had come, but that it came at too high of a price. I had lost my friends, and things were taking a turn for the worse. We conceived you before I left; I never married her, and suddenly years later I came to take you to Zanarkand after the Calm."

I sniffed; a few tears had fallen down as he spoke of my mother. I could hear how much he loved her—the only time he spoke softly, as if time itself was turning back so he could relive the memory. "You were already dead then. When you took me to Zanarkand and started to raise me and Tidus. You died before you came back for me, but not when you and her—"

He grunted, then started to move hoping that I would let go of him. "You were the last gift I ever gave her. It was unfortunate that I died before I could see you again, but I had to wait to get myself back in order. No more talk of this; you may know a part of the truth, but it will reveal itself completely in due time."

The tears fell down even more, and I grew angry. They were hot and wet against my cheeks, and my fists began to beat on his back. "Why does it hurt so much?" I whispered as I hit him without even an ounce of strength. "Why?"

He turned around and I pulled back. "This was her favorite place. She talked about raising you underneath the stars, and when I came for you we had met back here. She and I had an agreement about all of this, even Zanarkand. I told her I had a promise to fulfill, and she told me that if I could provide for one then I could provide for both. However, she told me that when I would feel her loneliness sweep in that I should return you. She wanted to be selfish if only for a little while. You still needed a mother. In the first few weeks you had cried for her so much you know. Just like you used to cry for me in the first few weeks when you came back."

My bottom lip still trembled while the tears had begun their process of stalling. "So, what I'm feeling is her sadness? The one she had for both me and you? When she lost me? When she lost you? When she lost everything she ever had?!" My voice rose to new heights, and a memory tingled in my mind but then clouded my eyes as if I were seeing it all over again. I saw my parents talking together while under the haze of sleep. It was night, the stars were shining and they were making decisions that I could never understand. I closed my eyes and when I opened them I was in a strange new world with dad at my side and mom gone forever, or at least that was how it felt.

I remember that I hated him back then for that. He stole me away, leaving mom alone to fend for herself with no husband and child. She must have been terribly lonely, and so the day I came back it only made sense that she held me close. My room had been prepared and cleaned thoroughly before I even arrived, and I wondered just how long she suffered before her loneliness overcame her. But it was odd because after that, she was always so wonderfully happy and I was the only one thinking about dad and the rest of our lives.

"Well, it's more than that. You've hated me for leaving you and her, for stealing you away to some foreign place even though you loved it there. And now, you're on another journey and feel like you've done absolutely nothing to help the people who matter. You haven't done anything to stop the horrible things that have happened from happening. You're still too young and too inexperienced and although you want to convince yourself that everything will be okay at the end of this pilgrimage, you know that it won't be. But, there is some hope in all of this."

He crossed his arms as I blinked through my tears. They had stopped, but the wetness was there and I had yet to wipe it away. It felt good to cry, despite the exhaustion it caused and the fear of looking ridiculous to everyone around me. "What hope?" I croaked out; my throat suddenly sore.

This time he snorted. "All of you aren't as pathetic as you think you are. You can save each other, but you've got to have a little more backbone. What happened to the girl with all the spunk in the world? She shoots pistols like a fiend, doesn't give a damn about Yevon's words, and will fight even her father when she feels she's correct. That girl…hm, she's strong even when she's vulnerable." He uncrossed his arms, tapped my nose with his finger, and then turned to walk away from me. "You're stronger than you realize and would make her very proud. Now come on, we're going to continue, and it's alright to be afraid. Death is a serious thing."

I blinked a few times, swallowed thickly even though it hurt to do so, and finally wiped at my eyes. "But you…" I mumbled. I knew my father's secret now, he was an unsent and I had suspected it ever since Seymour said he held the scent of the Farplane on him, but I never really had the guts to think about it or even question it. He was also fading, and was expecting us to find a way for Sin to be completely gone. He wanted an Eternal Calm as much as the rest of us. "Is that why you didn't come with us into the Farplane? You began to hurt; was it because she was calling you to join her?"

He stopped a few steps away from me, looked up at the sky and gruffly answered me. "I wasn't ready to be a memory just yet. Now let's go; there's still much to be done." He didn't look back at me; instead he chose to walk ahead of me while I tried to get myself back together. I stopped crying, but the sense of unease was still within me. I rubbed at my stomach a little, wondering what else it could be that was making me feel this way. I just had to push forward along with the rest of our group and continue on our journey. I nodded and clenched my hand into a fist tightly, balling it up with as much strength as I could muster, and then releasing it so all of my tension would be gone. That action alleviated some of it, but not all. In any case, I followed my father and walked over to the Al Bhed shop; my face was no longer tear-streaked and red.

While I was talking to dad, Lulu and the others were speaking to one of her old comrades. The second summoner she was a guardian for. I peeked over my dad's shoulder only to move to his side to get a look at Father Zuke. From what she told me about her previous pilgrimages, he gave up half way and decided to be a devout follower of Yevon—gathering from him wearing the robes of the monks of Yevon—and devoted himself to the teachings and to Bevelle's temple. He was a curious man, but he seemed genuine enough and smiled once he saw Lulu. There was even a hint of longing to converse with her longer but he had to leave relatively quickly. He wasn't allowed to speak with traitors like us. Father Zuke was the reason we found out about the newest crime that the Maesters of Yevon dangled above our heads.

"You have been branded as traitors for the murder of Maester Kinoc." His words rang in my ears, and I grit my teeth in anger. I didn't want to speak foully of Bevelle and its other leaders, but the temptation was growing stronger and stronger. So now we were even deeper traitors because of Seymour and they wanted to place the convenient blame on us. How disgusting. Father Zuke commented that Yuna didn't look like someone who would kill a Maester nor did he plan to follow up on the plan of killing us on sight. Instead, he chose to inform us and to give Lulu a solid warning. "I pray her pilgrimage goes well for her sake and yours as well." All eyes were on Lulu at that point, but she simply bowed and thanked him as he left us.

Yuna, Wakka, and I all knew of the story of Lulu's former summoners. Her journeys had all ended here in one way or another. She never made it to the lands beyond despite how much she wanted to. Her first and foremost pilgrimage should have been her last, but something kept pulling her back into this rough life and so she tried her damnedest to be the best guardian that she could be. At every step so far on this journey, she had been doing her best to keep Yuna out of harm even though the odds were against us. I knew that Lulu feared being in the Calm Lands more so than any place else in Spira. This place was usually the end instead of a brighter beginning during a pilgrimage. She understood that better than anyone.

I moved away from my dad in order to touch Lulu's arm. She wrapped both of her arms around herself and stared off at Father Zuke's back as he left. She didn't even flinch from the moment I touched her until after a few more minutes when my body heat had seeped into her skin. Her crimson eyes flickered up to my face, and it took her a moment to realize exactly who I was. She had been thinking about Father Zuke and the pilgrimage before his. I could tell she was hurting, but there was nothing that I could do for her. Once again, I felt totally useless and my unease grew.

Why were these pilgrimages so full of suffering? Why was ours especially full of suffering? Why did we all have to continue to hurt day in and day out despite the fact that we all just wanted the best for Spira? It was all just too much. I wanted to cry once again, but instead I slipped my hand away from Lulu's arm and balled it into another fist. I had to be strong; I couldn't continue to break down under the pressure. This journey was going to reach its end soon and we were going to finish it. No matter what happens at the end, Spira was definitely going to be saved.

Turning my body to look across the plains again, I could have sworn that I heard my mother whispering in my ear. Perhaps it was just the wind passing over the land, but it sounded so much like her. It sounded as if she was telling me that it would all be fine and that I was much stronger than I believed. Of course, that didn't make me feel any better but it did calm me down somewhat. I took in a huge breath, let my arms stretch out above me, and try to touch the sky. I knew that the rest of my companions were probably thinking I was behaving oddly, but at that moment I didn't care. I just wanted to pretend I was free, even for a fraction of a moment.

It would have been nice if we could be.


	13. Chapter 12

Title: Spiral of Love

Pairings: Kimiko/Rikku, Auron/Tidus, Yuna/Tidus, Wakka/Lulu, Kimiko/Yuna

Summary: Kimiko is the daughter or Sir Auron and a guardian of Lady Yuna…love is not that hard to come by in a group of eccentric people, but is the one she loves going to respond to her advances?

Warnings: Still in the Calm Lands, familial feels, friendship feels, some fluff, another battle, writer losing mind after not getting to parts she's had planned…_ah._

Disclaimer: If I owned them do you really think I would be writing about them?

Notes: How is it that these chapters never go as I originally plan them to?! Damn it. Still a good chapter I think.

Thanks to: My original beta reader: Exxal! And to all of you lovely readers!

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><p>Chapter Twelve<p>

We decided to set up camp halfway through the Calm Lands. I hadn't realized exactly how spacious this place was until we left the small compound and went back into the plains. My feet began to ache from all the walking we'd been doing, and not to mention that everyone was uncomfortably quiet. The only one who I could really speak with was Rikku, and even then I didn't want to try and pull teeth just to get her to talk to me. She also had her own thoughts to deal with. It was just really unnerving, and that's why when dad suggested we should set up camp in the middle of the plains, I had no real problem with it. In fact, I was totally grateful.

This time he and I were going to be sharing a tent, which meant that I would be able to talk to him without any other influences around. It would also be nice to try and get close to the old man more than I usually was, since I was so damned stubborn and he was just…_himself_. I looked forward to being able to converse with him in the middle of the night.

As the sun began to set, everyone started to pull their weight and pitch their tents. We had bought materials from the Al Bhed shop, and so we were more than a little prepared to endure the night. When it came down for something to eat however, me and Tidus were sent off to go find a fiend that was tasty enough to make a meal out of. It was grueling work, coaxing several fiends until dad and Lulu finally shouted out that that one was our chosen foodstuff. Tidus and I rolled our eyes as we huffed and had to bring the carcass back to our camp where Yuna and Rikku were getting the fire going.

Once the fiend was set down and Kimahri and Wakka began to cut it open so we could cook and enjoy it, I moved to sit between Tidus and Rikku. None of us were about to retire yet, so I was able to hang around with the other teens until it was time to get some shut eye. Yuna would occasionally pipe up in our chats about anything that she could conjure up that she felt was relevant. We just wanted to focus on laughing and pretending that everything from here on out would be one hundred percent alright. However, I could tell by the light emitted from the fire flickering over all of our faces that our fears were the same. Tidus and I would share a glance every so often when both Rikku and Yuna were immersed with one another. I could tell he and I were thinking the same thing. Neither of us had stopped thinking of ways to stop the inevitable end of our pilgrimage and subsequently any deaths.

I pressed my palm against his shoulder and nudged him so that he could fall over onto the floor and then proceeded to jab at his sides—where he was super ticklish. Rikku joined in after a bit while Yuna kept calling over to see if he was alright. We were overdoing it just a bit, but when we finally released him I heard my father grunt in more approval and amusement than anything else. I flashed the old man a smile and gave him a thumb up. He looked for a moment before looking away, and I'm sure that his shoulders were moving up and down just a little bit, as if he were laughing. I'd find out later anyway, for now I was just going to have fun.

After tickling Tidus for the night, Rikku and I ended up sitting beside each other while Yuna and Tidus were grouped together. Lulu and Wakka retired for the night together, and all of us teenagers looked at each other before whistling when they went into the tent. Lulu came back outside to give us all a look to which we tried to look innocent and noticeably failed. My father and Kimahri went to their respective tents as well, and I realized that Tidus was going to stay with Kimahri while the girls were going to be with each other. I hadn't expected that kind of mix up at all.

Rikku bumped her knee with mine, smiling shyly at me while it was only the four of us together now. Yuna and Tidus were talking about something or other that neither of us had decided to pay attention to, and so I moved closer to Rikku. Her head ended up falling onto my shoulder while my arm snaked around her waist, pulling her a little closer to me as well. We watched the flames dance across our vision in contentment just to feel each other's bodies like this. My heart leapt into my throat as she raised her head and pressed her lips against my cheek. I knew that I was blushing now as Tidus and Yuna looked over at us and laughed.

"Hey you two over there, shut it." I stuck out my tongue at them which made them laugh more. Rikku also giggled from her place right beside me and I poked her side. She yelped before giggling, and I realized that I was getting a little sleepy now. Whispering to Rikku, I told her that I needed to sleep and she nodded. Moving away from me, I was already missing her warmth, but tomorrow we were going to set off for another part of the Calm lands before getting to Mt. Gagazet, or the Ronso Mountain as people called it. I kinda really needed the sleep so it was unfortunate that I couldn't hang around anymore, but I had to go.

Rikku also went to her tent while Tidus and Yuna stayed together talking for however long. I spared a glance at them before telling them to sleep. Tidus had nodded at me, trying to give me some hope that he was trying to Yuna's mind off of anything bad. I mouthed a "thank you" at him before sneaking into the tent I shared with dad. He wasn't asleep at all; in fact the old man was sitting there with his coat off as if he was waiting for me to come in. It seemed as if I wasn't going to go to sleep quickly as I had originally planned. Moving onto my own mat, I took off the vest and unbuckled my pants. I was not going to sleep with restrictive clothing, and he shot me a look.

"I'm not going to be uncomfortable when I sleep." He grunted and nodded. "Is there something you need to tell me? Other than the fact that you were laughing at us earlier. I saw you." I smiled smugly at him with my comment, and I heard him snort as he turned away from me.

"You truly have grown during this journey." I sat up as he spoke, smiling a little because of the praise.

"Have I really?" I perked up, eager to hear if he'd say more about it but he moved on to a completely different topic instead; he decided to speak about my mom.

"I'm sure you've become exactly the woman that she thought you would be." He brought out his jug of alcohol, bringing to his lips and taking a drink before holding it out to me. "You're old enough. Don't chug too much of it." His lips twitched in a semblance of a smile and I couldn't help but chuckle at him. This is the man that wasn't around for so many years, and one of his fatherly duties now is to make sure I don't drink myself too hard? He was unbelievable…but he was still my father.

Taking a swig from the jug, I heard the sloshing go straight down towards my stomach. It was an odd sensation to say the least, but the old man kept on talking through it all. "I met her during the pilgrimage. Jecht and Braska teased me greatly about how she was making eyes at me, and it was because of them that I had no choice but to talk to her. At first, I was reluctant to get close to anyone, especially any woman after the high priest had wanted me to marry his daughter and I turned her down. I told you that story lots of times when you were younger, and because of one night during the pilgrimage you were born and shown to me months later."

He did tell me things like that when Tidus and I were with him in Zanarkand. About how he was so shy back then to speak to such a beautiful woman, but it all worked out in the end. I used to think about having someone just like my parents had each other, but then I also thought about how they could even manage to be away from each for so long. It pretty much tore up Tidus' mom when Jecht left her, and I wondered if mom was as scared and heartbroken as she was then. Those thoughts made me want to rush back to Spira, believing that my dad was a jerk for leaving her behind when all he was doing was fulfilling some promise he made to a friend.

I kept the jug by me, taking another few sips from it before passing it back as he talked about her more. The alcohol had made me slightly drowsy, but I was able to hold it for a long time. I was just exhausted because of everything we'd been through in the pilgrimage rather than anything else. It was difficult—day in and day out we were facing new challenges, and this pilgrimage was growing longer and longer than I had ever thought possible. I was leaning to the right, almost hitting the pillow at my side while I was turned to my father. His words were becoming hazy and somehow were rushing into one another. Just as I thought I was about to close my eyes and fall down into the pillow, the old man pressed his hand against my forehead.

My eyes opened wide and my lip trembled. It reminded me of when I jumped into the freezing waters at the edge of the dock back in Zanarkand. Tidus dropped something in the water, and he swam to get it but came up empty handed. It was my turn to go in, retrieve the item, and be somewhat of a heroic sister figure to him. I ended up with a cold and a fever to boot. Tidus was so scared that I was dying, and kept running into the room every few seconds with a new washcloth to chill me as I laid there sweating. I remember my father grumbled at him about how I wasn't dying—just sick and he continually checked me over to see if the fever was steadily coming down. When I was cured, I don't remember if I thanked him for caring about me…I kept thinking about how mom was alone and possibly scared without her little girl by her side. But I was grateful that he was there, and it made me feel a little wanted.

That memory had been dormant in my mind for quite some time.

"You drank too much." He gruffly said, taking the jug away from my hands and putting it beside his own pillow. I made a face at him, about to protest that I wasn't drunk—not in the least by that piss old wine he had in there, but he tapped my forehead and then told me to sleep. It was funny, the fact that I still wanted to stay up late and have a conversation with my old man. That I wanted to be close to him because after I came back to mom, my emotions had gone haywire and I felt betrayed by him, but now it was different; it was very silly to me. Little by little during this pilgrimage, he felt more like a father than he did while we were in Zanarkand. The little things he had done back then which were no more than fatherly duties, didn't feel like he was being my father—more so that he was a stand-in because my mother wasn't around.

I hit the pillow softly, my eyes suddenly very heavy. I didn't have any strength within me to pull the covers above me, and so he did it for me. I smiled dreamily, but I did have enough strength for one thing. My hand reached out to touch the hem at the edge of his leg. "Thank you, dad." It was the last thing I said to him before my vision went black and I passed out. I didn't even know if he heard what I said; there wasn't enough time before me falling asleep and my words to know whether he did or not. All I could as hope that he had.

The following morning, I woke up to the warmth of someone laying right next to me. One arm was slung across my back, light but very warm and I groaned against the sensation of my face smashed into the pillow. I didn't know what time it was, and I didn't even care. All I knew was that I was awake, and suddenly wanted to very much go back to sleep. However, the pressure against my back was making that a little difficult because I was too warm.

Groaning, I shifted to face my right so I could open my eyes upon seeing whoever it was at my side. I was greeted with a shock of blonde hair covering a small face that featured pouty lips. I softly snorted; already very much aware of whom it was that must have snuck into my tent to sleep beside me. Snaking my arm out from beneath the covers, I left my fingers glide over her features in order to push back the hair that was covering her eyes. She shifted a little, but her arm stayed right across my back. I ended up giggling, and before I knew it—it turned into outright laughter.

Rikku opened her eyes slowly, confusion evident in her face at having someone laughing at her as she slept. She looked around the tent curiously, as if she didn't know where she was before placing her head back down and groaning, eyes closed like she could fall asleep again. Her arm was removed from my back, her hands pressing against her eyelids so that she could rub the sleep away.

"Morning Sleeping Beauty." I told her through laughter before I poked her nose. She looked at me, surprised to see me although I knew she had snuck in here. I pressed a finger to her lips before she could say anything, and then replaced my finger with my own lips for a morning kiss. She accepted that with no problem, turning on her side so she could wrap her arms around my neck and press against me. The sheet lay between us, the boundary that didn't let us explore each other further. Her fingers reached up into my hair, pushing it back softly so she could play with the strands as she moaned into my mouth.

I pushed the cover down before letting my hands grab her waist. I realized that she didn't have a shirt on either, both of us wearing our underclothes because it was too warm to wear anything else. I laughed as we rolled over, her back pressing against the floor and me on top of her. We couldn't stop raking our hands over one another, uncontrollable in our need for more contact. She kept pressing her lips against my cheeks, neck, and chest—as many kisses as she could get in before I captured her lips with my own once more. We didn't go further than heavy kisses against each other's lips and skin. Neither of us were going to skirt into that territory just yet. However, I figured that it wouldn't have been a bad situation to wake up like this every morning if I could help it. For that reason alone, I welcomed the pilgrimage never ending for us.

Rikku leaned up to lick at my lips, making us both. From outside, Tidus called out my name to see if I was awake. I turned to look at my left; my father's things were packed and removed. It gave me a slight pang to realize that he had been gone for quite a while before I awoke, and I unconsciously made a face. I didn't know that I did until Rikku pressed her hand against my cheek before tugging at my chin so that I would look down at her. She gave me one more kiss before pushing me off of her softly, saying something about that we needed to get up so we could continue our journey.

The two of us got out of the tent with packed belongings and found ourselves face to face with Yuna. Apparently, a moment later she was going to come into the tent and drag us out herself. She gave us both a look that was ranging between wanting to know what we were doing in the same tent and not wanting to know. Rikku just grabbed her cousin, taking her away with promises of a great breakfast for all of us while I looked around to question my father on his whereabouts. I hadn't even thought of asking how or why Rikku managed to find herself in our tent.

I found the old man hunched by Tidus and Wakka, their mouths open wide so that they could feast on the breakfast that Lulu and Kimahri had prepared. How a Ronso had made a good cook, we would never know. I didn't plan on questioning it either as I sat next to Wakka as Kimahri handed me a plate. My gaze kept traveling to my dad and Tidus, the two of them speaking in hushed tones and I suddenly felt very left out. I wasn't jealous of Tidus—not at all, he was like my own brother—but it seemed that he was much closer to Auron than his own flesh and blood.

We ate relatively quickly before setting out once again, the group moving like a solitary being. I almost thought we were about to start breathing in the same pattern as well as we made it to the edge of the Calm Lands. We passed the scar made by Sin and old Guardians and a Summoner past; a silent prayer hanging at the precipice from all of us. Yuna was the last to move away from it, Rikku and Lulu tugging her away from the gorge so we can continue further. Making it to the bridge that signified we were leaving the Calm Lands and entering Mt. Gagazet, we all stood there looking at the looming entrance and wondering if we were even allowed to pass through.

Taking in a deep breath, we all started to move forward to get to the bridge, but before we could even do that two Guado had trailed us from underneath the bridge—something was coming along with them. There was a narrow passageway that leads through from where we were standing to underneath the bridge and to somewhere else. I looked over to my right, Lulu was staring down at it with a sense of detachment and I realized that whatever was through that passageway was the key to her fear of this place. I was about to reach out and tell her that things would be alright, but the ground began to quake and I turned to look where the Guado were standing.

Some kind of machinated being stood there proudly, its gears turning around and around, making it look as if it were twitching every few seconds because it didn't know what else to do. "Shit…" I muttered, casting a glance at Tidus whose first instinct was to move towards Yuna and push her softly behind everyone. Who knew what the Guado were planning right now, but if they wanted our Summoner dead or alive they weren't going to get her. "If they're going to attack, we're going to have to give them everything we've got." A chorus of "yes!" resounded in my ears as we all charged forward to attack. No longer were we all afraid of battle, in fact we welcomed the battle because it meant that we were still alive.

My body filled with adrenaline; the sounds of my own gunshots weren't as loud to my ears as I focused on the Guado before us. They ducked and dived at my attacks, but Tidus and my father were currently the ones at my side helping me to fight these enemies. The others were engaged in a standoff with the machinated contraption, trying to see whether or not they could win against it—but they had to try anyway. We would overcome these minor things before we could press on to even bigger battles. The inevitable engagement with Sin had easily come to my mind, especially after seeing the scar it left on the Calm Lands.

After a Guado would feint my bullet, either dad or Tidus would charge after in order to hack at them. Soon enough, they had run out of energy to dodge our attacks and fell at both of their blades. I huffed as I reloaded my pistols before joining the others. Rikku had been able to skillfully try and take the machine out piece by piece, literally doing all sorts of maneuvers while everyone else attacked from all sides. Yuna continued to cast healing and protection spells on all of us so that we wouldn't faint or die in the throes of the battle.

Lulu and Wakka stayed at a good distance, hitting it with spells and blows from the blitzball at different sides, making sure that the damned thing couldn't focus in on them and try to attack them. Kimahri would charge in, practically get his weapon stuck in a gear or two while my father and Tidus would try and hack away at the machine in order to free the lance. My guns were useless for this type of battle, and I had to rack my brain order to figure out what to do in order to help. I knew that even calling Valefor would be pointless, especially so that our enemy was growing weaker by the minute.

However, there was something pivotal that I could do. As Rikku tried to take the thing apart, it had ultimately honed in on her. It swung an arm out, nearly hitting her in the process if I didn't realize what it was doing. I had charged in desperately, tackled Rikku out of the way so that it's arm didn't connect with her body. She and I landed on the ground hard, and I pulled the two of us up before it launched another attack. As we ran to opposite sides, my father had been able to charge a powerful attack that sent the machine flying from where it stood into part of the mountain.

Collectively we gasped as the mountain rumbled but did not break. Instead, the machine began to fall in bits and pieces, causing all sorts of debris to crash around us and make us close our eyes against the assault. I coughed as dust sprang up from the ground and was inhaled into my nostrils. I nearly choked as some of it had even gotten in my mouth, but after a few minutes the rumbling and the crashing finally came to a halt; we were able to breathe and see again.

"Whoa…" Rikku and I said before giggling at each other. The mountain stood tall, not a single scratch marred its form and then we looked down to where the pieces of the machine lingered. They didn't move an inch, just as much as the Guado corpses that were on the other side of us. Our gazes travelled to them as Yuna moved toward them to give a sending. Tidus and Rikku were about to call out that it was unnecessary since they attacked first, but I placed a hand on each of their shoulders and shook my head. Just because they were devout followers of a wrong cause did not mean that we were to stoop to their level. Instead, we were to forgive them for their transgressions and carry on, hoping that maybe there would come a day when others would not follow the wrong path like they did.

Once the sending was over with, I moved to the machine and poked at it. My father had done the same with his sword before Rikku went diving for some parts that were still usable. I shook my head and chuckled before looking down to the passageway, suddenly curious to know what was down there. I didn't have a moment to deliberate about it as Lulu and Wakka passed by me and continued down it. So, we were going to take a little detour before moving toward Mt. Gagazet…I didn't know why but I was a little nervous and finding whatever was down there. As if some dangerous secret was kept down below and should stay that way.

I stood looking down the passageway for a few more minutes before following after everyone else, trying to swallow the lump in my throat that had formed there. The secret to Lulu's unhappiness was just a few steps away…


	14. Chapter 13

Title: Spiral of Love

Pairings: Kimiko/Rikku, Auron/Tidus, Yuna/Tidus, Wakka/Lulu, Kimiko/Yuna

Summary: Kimiko is the daughter or Sir Auron and a guardian of Lady Yuna…love is not that hard to come by in a group of eccentric people, but is the one she loves going to respond to her advances?

Warnings: Extra special things that you should have done in the game, feels on everyone's account especially Lulu's, shut up and take my money kinda, ridiculous warnings, and maybe a little bit of fluff here and there.

Disclaimer: If I owned them do you really think I would be writing about them?

Notes: For some odd reason, this chapter made me feel at a loss and I had to press forward to keep writing it. However, the end of the story is a few more chapters away and most definitely fleshed out. I'm sure you guys are eager to see this through to the end, and I hope I won't disappoint!

Thanks to: My original beta reader: Exxal! And to all of you lovely readers!

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><p>Chapter Thirteen<p>

We wandered down the path, and to our right there was an entrance to a dark cave. I really didn't want to go in there, and purposely began to drag my feet once we descended the slope. Hell, I even groaned a couple of times but then my father started to give me troubling looks and I had to stop that altogether. I really wasn't in the mood to argue with the old man. Instead, I wandered to the edge of the valley and looked up. It was only a short distance from here to the plains, but I was certain that if someone jumped off to get down here there was going to be some kind of damage to the body. I winced as I imagined how painful before looking down and trying to see if the bottomless pit might have been a joke.

It wasn't. I couldn't see anything beyond the darkness, and looking down at it for a little bit too long had made me woozy. I moved away from the cliff and took a gulp of fresh air while simultaneously saying a prayer for any and all who had fallen over the edge.

Once I was finished, I turned to look at the cavern's entrance and grimaced. "Are you sure we should go in there? I mean…it really doesn't look all that safe."

My father snorted before patting me on the head. "We've been on a dangerous pilgrimage for far too long, and now you're worrying about if something is safe?"

I huffed before blowing at my bangs that he had patted down; they were descending upon my eyes and obstructing my vision, and just as I was about to retort, the words died in my throat as Wakka and Lulu wandered into the cave without any preamble. There was a rush of emotions that gripped me in that moment: a sudden sadness for Lulu, a sliver of fear for whatever was beyond, and a slight pang of anger for even having to go into the stupid cave. There was some kind of gas emanating out of it, and I most certainly did not trust it! It was purplish for Yevon's sake!

However, even if I was going to speak up about my feelings on the situation, no one was going to listen. Yuna and Kimahri followed Lulu and Wakka in a heartbeat while the rest of us stragglers glanced at one another before shuffling in as well. I was so not happy by the idea. Not on little bit of this seemed like a good idea.

As soon as we entered the cave fully, I had to take a moment to let my eyes adjust to the darkness. It wasn't completely dark—there were pyreflies milling about and giving off just enough light to let us see exactly where we were, but it was like a smack in the face from the sunlight that we were just accustomed to from having. Needless to say, I was a little surprised to see all of the pyreflies floating around, but it didn't stop me from walking up to a gaggle of them and trying to touch them. Instead of alluding me, they practically welcomed me by swarming around my waist and up my torso before wrapping around my neck and then over my head…they burst through like miniature fireworks over my head—the kind we used to see while in Zanarkand, and I felt a pang of homesickness in that instant.

Swallowing thickly, I turned to look at the rest of my companions but the only one that was still there was Kimahri. The others had gone ahead, easily following after Lulu to goodness knows where and I felt a little silly. I must have looked like some dumb kid who couldn't get enough of playing with pyreflies, the afterimages of the dead, and almost immediately I dropped my hand then moved over to Kimahri. He didn't say anything when I stood next to him and looked away, instead he just began to lead me to wherever the others went and I was a little thankful for him not wanting to talk much. He seemed to understand a lot more than everyone else probably gave him credit for.

In no time at all, we managed to slip through the winding tunnel at the right of the cave while avoid the purple mist. I wasn't exactly sure if we should have been inhaling the air around us, but there was nothing we could about it. As long as we didn't touch the stuff, I guess we were alright? Kimahri didn't seem enthused about walking past the mist either as he continually eyed it with suspicion. Perhaps he thought it was going to harm us in some shape or form? If it started actively talking to us, I was going to run. Lulu's secrets and regrets be damned.

Kimahri and I caught up to the others within a wide open space of the cavern. There were more pyreflies floating around here than anywhere else and it startled me. I hadn't expected to see so many of them in just one area like this—it was as if they were their own life form and were going to swarm at us collectively. My muscles grew taut as I let my right hand drift over to the holster at my side, just in case if anything were to happen while we were wandering along.

However, the group was at a standstill as the pyreflies grew close and pulsed together before us. The moment that they stopped pulsating, Lulu drew closer to them and whispered to it. I tilted my head as I watched her, and everyone else stopped their movements at once. The bad feeling that I had been originally getting grew a hundredfold and I licked my lips as they suddenly felt dry. What was going on in here? What was going on with Lulu and this place?

"Lu…" Wakka whispered the shortened version of her name—probably something both he and Chappu were accustomed to doing—but she didn't even so much as twitch. She kept her gaze focused on the mass of pyreflies floating before us while my unease grew. "Is this..?" The question he asked hung in the air, making the rest of us look at him in wonder. He seemed to know exactly what was going on in here while the rest of us didn't.

Lulu had told me her pilgrimages all ended in the Calm Lands; it was an area of bad luck for her and so she had never passed into the lands beyond. There was never a reason for her to ever venture past this area if she was no longer on a pilgrimage. Lulu had always returned back to Besaid Island with guilt in her heart and regrets weighing her down. There was a reason that she acted the way she did…and more than likely it was within this very cavern.

"Lulu?" This time Yuna called out to her, moving right behind her and pressing a tentative hand on her shoulder.

The mage sighed heavily before turning around; a sad smile was tugging at her lips. That was something I had never seen before. It damn near broke my heart, but I was intrigued by whatever it was that she needed to tell us. Lulu had to tell us—or else she would never be free from the curse she placed upon herself. Or at least, that's what I had thought would happen.

"My first pilgrimage…it ended right here in this very spot. The summoner I was guarding…she died, and I was powerless to help her. It's my fault." She looked back at the pyreflies which began to pulsate again like an entity, and this time my hands were both placed at the handles of my pistols. Something was about to happen; I could feel it.

Within an instant the pyreflies grew wild, desperately moving around like something huge was happening to them. A light engulfed the area, making all of us shield our eyes from it, but then it died down within the next second or two. Slowly, I pulled my arm down which had flown up to my face so that my eyes wouldn't have been blinded by the piercing light. Once I was able to see clearly once again, I realized that a full grown woman who rivaled Lulu's height with Yuna's calm and kind demeanor was standing before us. The smile she had on her face was the same one that my mother had when we visited the Farplane.

So this was her…

Although I had never seen Lulu cry, and would never ever see Lulu cry, I could tell that she was overcome with emotion at seeing her; the woman she believed she killed. In her own way, Lulu believed that she was responsible for this woman's death, and I practically flew over to her. Without any real thoughts about what I was doing, my arms wrapped around her completely but she said nothing to me. I hadn't looked at her as I did that, but once I got over the shock of what I was doing, I realized she barely paid me any mind. She was still staring at the summoner.

"It's you, is it not? Lady Ginnem?" The summoner had not moved, merely stood there like a statue while Lulu began her apologies. "Forgive me…I was too young." Lulu sighed; I could tell she wanted to go over and hug the woman one last time, but that would have been in vain. The second that Yuna moved again—this time to send Lady Ginnem—she was stopped completely by a dark force of power. It was like that of Seymour when he originally fought against us with Anima. There was a dark sadness; it was so powerful and yet so disturbing at the same time. I pressed against my heart as I let go of Lulu and stood beside her. Rikku ran over to me, placing a hand against my other arm.

"She is an unsent." My father's words cut through the tension.

Lulu's head hung as she looked down to the floor. "There is no human left in you now, is there?" The summoner moved a fraction of an inch, but the energy within the cavern suddenly grew. The hair on my arms stood up while a shiver flew down my spine. I was chilled at the sadness, the bitterness, and the need to be released and saved all at once. All Lady Ginnem truly wanted now was a peaceful respite in the Farplane. Lulu's gaze moved from the ground back to the summoner before her lips grew taut in a thin line. Easily, she pulled out one of her dolls that boosts her spellpower and got into position.

Her words wavered a little, but she was clear at what she was saying. "Very well then. Allow me to perform my last duty to you. My last as your guardian." She nodded at Lady Ginnem as the rest of us grabbed our weaponry so that we could also fight. Yuna hung out at the back with Kimahri at her side, just in case if anything happened to the rest of us…she could make a clean getaway. Lulu had become wiser in the years after she left this place. It was time for her to come to grips with all of her feelings and come clean.

"Lulu! We're here for you." I told her, flashing a smile as we all set to work on defeating the Aeon that Lady Ginnem had with her. The only Aeon she had bonded with in her afterlife was Yojimbo; he was the Fayth that was stolen many years ago by a man who wanted to stop the pilgrimages so that the summoners wouldn't have to die and sacrifice themselves for everyone else's happiness. Apparently, someone had found the hiding place and now other summoners come to speak with this particular Fayth in order to obtain the Aeon…but he is shrewd and unforgiving. It was understandable why Lady Ginnem was still clutching onto his power at the end of her life.

She summoned him quickly, the cavern twisting around us to reveal a dark forest lit by full moon overhead. It was only a trick of the light—something that always happens whenever a Fayth is summoned. Yojimbo emerged from underneath a cherry blossom tree along with a small dog to accompany him. I stepped back just an inch or two along with others, and we waited for him to approach us. Once the cave returned back to its normal state, the Aeon stared at us in contempt…he was judging us wasn't he? At least…that's what he seemed to be doing in my eyes.

Glaring at him, I pulled out my weaponry and cocked the safety off. We were here to protect Lulu, to save her from her regrets, and to send Lady Ginnem so that they would both be free from this place. Also, if we managed to meet with Yojimbo's Fayth—well, that was also a nice little plus on the side.

"We can't give up. Not here." I gave Lulu a small smile before Yojimbo launched an array of attacks against us. He only had about four or five; most of them were with the use of the dog and an arsenal of knives. The Aeon truly was strong; he had worn me out from dodging his attacks and nearly using all of the ammo I had on me. I'm sure there were a few chests left behind in the cave still, but I was beginning to get a little tired. He hadn't even begun to lean over in exhaustion!

I looked over to my side to see Tidus panting and kneeling while his blade was stuck into the ground. "Damn, he's really tough. How can we beat that thing?" He huffed as he stood up again, taking the blade out of the ground before rubbing at his nose. "There must be some way to get around him and take him down by surprise…"

My dad and Kimahri took to slicing at Yojimbo while Lulu and Wakka focused their attacks mainly on the small dog he had with him. That damned little thing was weakening much quicker than the larger Aeon. My gaze swung by to see what Rikku and Yuna were doing. Hanging back, they were both healing the others in their own way. Yuna had her immense knowledge of curing magic while Rikku had enough potions to help a small army. It almost made me want to laugh at the ridiculousness of how much she carried along with her.

Speaking of what she carried along with her…

"Do you think Rikku has anymore grenades left?" I whispered to Tidus while trying to regain my breath. I only had a few more shots left, and in order to use them a surprise attack was definitely necessary.

He shrugged which made me roll my eyes. "You can go and ask her for me you know."

He grinned and stuck his tongue out. "But she's your girl now, right?" I slapped the top of his head for that one before sneaking over to Yuna and Rikku. Tidus had followed me, giving us all some kind of cover just in case if we were in Yojimbo's sights. However, it seemed like the Aeon had his hands full with Kimahri and my dad.

"Rikku!" I called out to her, and she swung around to look over at me. She moved closer to me so that I could whisper in her ear. "Do you still have any grenades left? I'm sure if we use those, then maybe we can distract Yojimbo and all come together for an attack. It could work, don't you think?" I huddled close by her, checking on the others with my peripheral vision every so often to make sure no one was in danger. Yuna seemed to be doing fine as she used her magic to heal everyone else—she wasn't going to use her Aeons this time around; this was Lulu's fight after all.

The Al Bhed tapped her chin in thought before she gave me a wide smile. "I know just the thing!" She rummaged through a pack she had along with a few pockets. Carefully, she held out a few items for me to take, which I did albeit a little curiously. I held the items and twisted them round and round, trying to figure out what they were for myself to no avail.

"Um, Rikku?" I called out to her before she took the items back. "What are you doing?" I whispered to her; Yojimbo's dog was sniffing the air and I was pretty sure that wasn't a good sign.

"Just a minute~" She sang to me as I watched the dog hone in on me, Rikku, and Yuna. Figures we wouldn't be safe under the cloak of the rest of our party fighting, especially since I could tell they were growing weary of this.

I half turned to Rikku while making a grab for my pistols. I realized that there was probably at least one shot left and if I missed we were all gonna have to be quick on our feet. "Well you better get on with it because we don't have much time." Rikku practically hummed as she worked, paying no mind to my pleas for her to hurry up. I licked my lips in anticipation of what was to come. Yojimbo was being attended to heavily by the others as his pup weaved through their legs and headed straight for the rest of us. I could feel Yuna casting_ Shell_ and_ Protect_ on us, but I was sure that one bite would still do a lot of damage to us.

The dog ducked underneath Tidus, breaking through from between his legs. I held up my pistols, aiming for its muzzle because he didn't have actual eyes. They were actually sets of script—the kind found in a Cloister—and I was sure that it would be a given weak point. The dog jumped out at me, growling heavily before it mouth opened to bite me.

"Rikku!" I shouted just as she victoriously yelled that she was ready. However, her victory was short-lived as I prematurely fired my round and missed the dog's mouth. I had aimed too far to the right and the bullet hit one of the cavern walls right above Yojimbo's head. "Damn it!" I cried out just as the dog's fangs sank into my flesh. My arm suddenly flared up in pain and I thrashed about so I could throw the thing off of me.

Apparently, I broke the protective barrier Yuna cast on us with my bullet thus cancelling its effect. I had let the damned thing bite me. Because I yelled as it sank its fangs into me, Rikku had stopped what she was doing completely but regained her wits as my father moved away from Yojimbo to check on me. Although I threw the damned mutt off of me, I could see that he was getting ready to charge at me for another helping of my blood. I had a gash along the side of my arm because when I threw him off, his fangs scraped against the rest of my arm. It really stung.

"Get on with it Rikku!" Tidus yelled at her, and before I knew it a massive grenade was sailing through the air. I never knew how good of an arm she had—if she wanted to play Blitzball I'm sure she would have been an awesome Abe and adored by many—but I was just impressed by how far the bomb went.

"No way…" I heard Wakka mutter as he came close to check on me as well.

Rikku yelled to the rest of us while we got caught up with the grenade. "Cover your eyes!" It was just like when we were in Bevelle. Collectively we all shut our eyes just as she told us to. **Boom**! The cavern rumbled as the bomb went off. I could feel the ground shake and I had snorted a huge cloud of dust into my nostrils. I coughed, trying to breathe but there was just so much of it! It felt like my lungs were going to come undone or that they were too clouded and for a moment I panicked.

After a while, the shaking and rumbling subsided. "Is it safe to look?" My father grumbled and it nearly made me laugh except for the fact that my arm still stung. For a few seconds as the ground quaked beneath us, I had totally forgotten about it, but all of a sudden the pain flared up again making me gasp. I heard someone shift over to me and open a bottle or something with a _pop_! A cold liquid was poured over the wound making me flinch and try to move away. "I have to be quick about it." So it was my father helping me out.

"Thanks." I murmured as I finally opened my eyes. I saw my dad kneeling right above me, bits of dust from the cavern was still falling around like dirty snow. It almost reminded me of Zanarkand during the winter holiday, when the snow fell around us peacefully and time practically stopped for us…or at least that was what it felt like. I was taken in by the sight of dust flaking around us for a second before I looked around to see if everyone else was still in one piece. Amazingly enough we all were, and that was when I noticed that both Yojimbo and his dog were. "What…"

Lady Guinnem approached as I began to stand on shaky legs. My father held out his arm to help steady me, but I nodded to show him that I was quite alright. I looked up to see that Lulu walked directly before Lady Guinnem after patting down her dress and getting the debris off of it. I could tell she was ready to cry, but she wasn't going to let the tears flow. Perhaps in the safety of her lonesome she would let her emotions flow out, but not here and not now. My heart ached for Lulu; she experienced more than enough sadness and pain for a lifetime.

My ears started to ring and I they wouldn't stop until Lady Guinnem faded. Both Lulu and her summoner were too far away for me to hear their one-sided conversation, but I could tell it was a heartfelt goodbye. Maybe now Lulu would be free from her sadness—her curse of never being able to go farther than the Calm Lands. I wondered just how much this place had held her back and just how much it tormented her day in and day out that she couldn't fulfill her duties. Just looking at Lulu standing there proudly, and wanting to be like her despite the fact that she had felt much weaker than I could ever know…Lulu's amazing. I always wanted to be like her…sacrifice just as much as she ever did.

As soon as Lady Guinnem was sent by Yuna's dance, the ringing in my ears completely died out. The air was thick with tension, and no one knew how to approach Lulu. However, as the rest of us stood stark still and waited for her to speak, Wakka moved over to her and whispered a few words. He touched her arm gingerly, and she leaned against him. I think everyone was well aware of Wakka's feelings for Lulu, but how much of it did she reciprocate? I asked myself that question all the time, but I'm pretty sure that Lulu loved him just as well, especially more so since he knew practically everything about her. He'd seen her at her most vulnerable since Chappu was gone; he was the only one she could completely trust.

They had love.

Wakka looked over his shoulder and smiled softly before pointing to the Chamber of the Fayth. "It's all yours." He said to Yuna. The rest of us would lie and wait while she spoke to the Fayth. I wrapped my arms around myself as she nodded and began to wander inside. Tidus trailed in after her, not wanting to take any more chances after what happened in Bevelle and I chuckled. He really was like an overprotective brother now since we fought against Seymour. I'm sure that Tidus bared some kind of guilt over what happened…especially for all the things he said about taking her to Zanarkand. He was trying to fix it somehow.

The cave entrance to the chamber closed with a loud **bang** once they entered it. No one spoke still until they finally came out, Yuna leaning against Tidus for support after receiving the Aeon which made the rest of us rush over to her. Lulu's curse was finally broken, and without anymore preempting we left the area to fresh air and the night sky overhead.

"We'll sleep here before we press on to Mount Gagazet. I'm sure it will be arduous." I heard Lulu say as she passed by me, a small smile tugging at the edge of her lips. She was free now, and could focus more on this journey; she and Wakka were kind of the same in that respect, although it was Blitzball that held him back, but even so they were now pressing forward and together. I couldn't help but notice as he saddled alongside her, linking their fingers ever so softly as if no one else would see it.

Seeing them touch each other and rely on each other also made me smile. Since I wanted to take the mood away from the rest of the pilgrimage and what we had just gone through, I linked an arm around Tidus and screamed, "First one to make a tent gets the biggest portion of the grub tonight!" All of us teens laughed and shrieked with glee, trying to outdo each other as we helped the rest of the adults put up the tents.

Yuna ended up winning the biggest portion of food that night, but she cheated I say. Having Kimahri help her out made it so that she didn't have to do anything! It was totally unfair! But I can't say that it wasn't a fun night. We laughed till we cried at our campfire, trading jokes and odd stories from our pasts which made me look over at Lulu and Wakka every so often. They glowed in the firelight, huddled close together and just watching us with amused expressions. Wakka had his arm around Lulu's shoulders, and she leaned into his side casually. They painted a warm picture of a happy family in that moment, watching over their bratty children with love in their eyes. They had even slept in the same tent, and me and Rikku and Tidus made bets on what they were doing and talking about.

Scandalized by all of our suggestions, Yuna kept covering her mouth as she blushed and laughed at the same time; I couldn't help but think she was adorable and innocent every time that she did. However, that only made me grab Rikku and wrap my arms around her waist. I held her tight and placed my face in the crook of her neck, making the both of us blush at my bold movement. My father and Kimahri had gone to sleep at the same time as Lulu and Wakka, leaving us teens to stay up for the rest of the night and regret it in the morning. It was always like this, I noticed. The adults would leave the rest of us to our own devices under the guise of sleep but really they didn't want to partake in the rest of our rambunctious night spells. I was totally fine with that though.

"Ah, we should talk about sleeping arrangements!" Yuna clapped her hands together as she smiled at the rest of us. Rikku and I just blinked. We had the impression that I was going to be sleeping with Tidus and she was going to be with Yuna. Needless to say we were a little surprised by the outburst and slowly but surely began to laugh. Pouting at our laughter, Yuna stared at me and Rikku in confusion. "Was there something funny about that?" She wasn't angry, just curious.

Tidus shook his head, joining in with our laughter. "It's just that what you're suggesting sounds a little odd. I guess the rest of us thought we had the same arrangements as before: me with Kimi and you with Rikku." Me and Rikku nodded at his words from the other side of the fire.

"Oh," was all she said and then blushed again. She really did have a crush on Tidus; it was really cute. Of course, I felt a pang at the loss of love that I had hoped to gain once upon a time, but I had Rikku and she was more than enough.

"It's not as if Kimi and I wouldn't mind sleeping together. It's just that they're used to fighting in their sleep." Rikku said which made me and Tidus launch several questions about our sleeping patterns at her. She didn't answer them—expertly dodged them actually—and ended up laughing as she ran into her tent. She was going to sleep next to Yuna, but that didn't stop me from running into their tent and tackling her before I went to sleep as well.

We ended up scrambling around on the floor, rolling together and laughing breathlessly just like in the morning. Once we couldn't breathe properly, I had to roll off of her and try to get some air into my lungs. We laid next to each other, our hands linked as we panted and slowly came down from the rush. After I was able to breathe again normally, I pulled our joined hands together and kissed the top of Rikku's hand. "Thank you." She rolled onto her side to look at me and smiled before closing the distance and pressing her lips against mine.

It was the only response that I needed.

I left the tent just as Yuna was crawling into it; we exchanged smiles and as I was launched back into the night, I moved over to Tidus who sat by himself staring at the campfire that still burned bright. "What a night." I heard him say as I leaned against him, placing my head on his shoulder and staring into the flames with him. We stayed like that for quite some time; silently watching the flames dull into embers. Tidus shifted first making me pull my head away from his shoulder in order to look at him. "We're really not that far now. I wonder what else is going to happen before we make it there." His voice was quiet under the night sky, reminding me of when we were kids and trading small, stupid secrets. A secret like putting ants inside of a kid's pants that we both truly disliked.

"Mm." I could think of anything to say. Our journey was still far from over—we had to traverse Gagzet before we could even think about getting to Zanarkand, and my father had never expressed how long that trek was.

It's funny how Tidus and I continued to share our thoughts with the sky overhead listening to our same thoughts and feelings. "I'm sure you're getting wicked tired of hearing these same things but we're just so close now and I—"

I punched him lightly on the arm to make him shut up. "You're not the only one who's scared you know. We all are. We've all been through this together and come so far, yet there is a possibility that we could fail and everything will carry on like it has here. At least…we're not alone though. We may be scared of anything that may come our way, but we have each other…and we can only hope that we'll get through this. With Yuna, KImahri, Lulu, Wakka, Rikku, and my dad…we've got this. We can do this; we'll save all of Spira and we'll do it our way. We'll be fine; don't doubt all of us for a second Tidus." I punched his arm again, a little harder than the last time before chuckling. "Who knew you were such a worrywart?"

He laughed along with me before pinching both of my cheeks hard in retaliation. I yelled at him to stop and tried to smack his hands, but we were still laughing too hard. Once our laughter died down though, I went back to using his shoulder as a pillow, and he started to talk. "It's not just that…I can't get your old man's words out of my head." I looked up at him curious to what my dad had to do with this. "When he picked up in Zanarkand before bringing me here…well, I guess you could say when he was bringing me here…like when Sin swallowed us up," I nodded for him to continue as he rambled on. "Well, he told me 'this is your story' and I couldn't forget about it. I mean, this is my story…I have to carry it on; I have a responsibility in this, Kimi."

"You're not the only one, idiot. We've all got stories; we've just got to make it into a good one." I knocked him on the head with a fist. "It's _our_ story. We're a team; you can't forget that we're here with you. I know for a fact that this one—the pilgrimage—is gonna be an amazing one that people will pass onto their kids for years to come. I can feel it."

Tidus pulled me again and ruffled my hair before we started pushing and poking one another. We shared a few more laughs before deciding to retire for the night. We slept soundly, smiles gracing our faces as we laid beside each other. He poked my nose once more before he fell out before me, and I couldn't help but snort at him. No matter how peaceful our nights always seemed after the long and weary days, another one would start up again to remind us of exactly what we had to achieve for the good of Spira.

As Tidus slept, I whispered into the night.

"This is our story. It's going to be a good one. We're all going to be heroes…no matter what it takes." I shut my eyes hard before tears could fall down. I began to dream of my mom and dad—happy before I was taken to Zanarkand, each of my hands in one of theirs. How nostalgic…


End file.
